Moon Dancer
by A Bleeding Heart Blooms
Summary: A new course is being offered at Cross Academy: ballet. Yuuki wants to enroll, but the Night Class can audition, as well! Will Yuuki become the star of the show? Will she find love? Or both? One thing is for sure...her life won't be the same. *ON TEMPORARY HIATUS*
1. Chapter 1

Story... Moon Dancer

Author... A Bleeding Heart Blooms

World... Anime

Setting... During the first season, (SPOILER) before Maria's entrance.

Rating... T, to be safe. Possible language and descriptive kissing in later chapters, but nothing major.

**Standard Disclaimer: **

I do not own Vampire Knight, nor do I profit in any monetary way from this story. It is written for my and other's enjoyment, and I am taking creative liberties with the characters. The only character that is mine is Ms. Himura. Vampire Knight and Vampire Knight Guilty are property of Viz Media and Matsuri Hino. Support them buy purchasing manga and dvds legally from your favorite retailer! The rating is posted above, and I cannot be held responsible if a reader who is too young reads this story without permission.

**Author's Note:**

Hello! Thank you for giving my story a try. This is the first story that I have posted EVER (Yay!), so this is a big step for me. Quite frankly, I'm a little nervous... Constructive criticism is appreciated since I'm new to this. I proof-read this, but I am only human, unlike most of the characters. I attempted to keep everyone in character.

Here are some things you need or might want to know before reading:

A). If you haven't watched up to EPISODE 9 turn away now unless you want potential spoilers. Honestly, I don't think that will really become an issue until later.

B). While it won't be full of chocolates and roses at first, this _will_ have a romantic ending, with friendship moments a plenty.

C). What exactly is the pairing, you ask? There will be **sweet moments/misunderstandings** between Yuuki and the following characters: Kaname, Zero, Aidou, and Takuma. The **final romantic pairing** will follow the canon of the story and be Kaname and Zero pining for our heroine, Yuuki. I have several differernt scenarios running around in my head for the ending, and I don't want to say for sure which one I'll choose, yet (lame, I know, but if you like watching the show you _should_ like this story, I hope...).

D). I will attempt (key word) to update once a week or two, but don't hold me to it. Updates will probably be big chapters like this, so never fear.

E). I have a feeling this story is going to be as long as my author notes when it's complete, so buckle down and grab some popcorn if you are planning to read this all at once. I have a tendency to be very wordy...or very detailed and descriptive (depending on how you want to look at it) in my writings. Whether it's a blessing or a curse right now, I'm not sure.

F). MOST IMPORTANT - please, please, _please_ no bashing other people if you don't like who they think Yuuki should be with in the reviews. Keep it clean, people, and we should all get along just fine. :)

You're probably tired of reading my ramblings, so I won't bore you any further. On to the story!

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CHAPTER ONE: AN OPPORTUNITY

With the three o'clock hour fast approaching, the excitement among the students at the prestigious Cross Academy was approaching a crescendo. For them, it was the best time of the day, full of the promise of a conclusion to the day's studies. For their instructors, however, it was the most frustrating.

"May I have your attention, please, students? The sooner you listen, the sooner you get to leave," the middle-aged teacher requested as the students gradually quieted down. It had been the first day of classes for the new semester, and everyone was still eagerly talking with their friends about their adventures over break. As requested, the students reluctantly paused their conversations.

"Thank you. Now, I have a special announcement to make. The Headmaster has approved a new course for select students to earn more fine arts credits after regular classes meet. Starting next week, you will all have the opportunity to audition for ballet. There will be a _standard_ ballet class for anyone who's interested, and an _advanced _ballet class that will have to be auditioned for in a few weeks time. Both classes will have a performance at the end of this semester. Meet in room 102A tomorrow after class if you are interested. Ms. Himura, the instructor, will discuss the terms and audition requirements to you. NOW, you are all excused, except for Zero and Yuuki. You get to stay after class," the math instructor said as he began sifting through his papers. The chatter in the room quickly regained its former intensity as the students gathered their things.

"Hey, Yuuki. You like to dance, don't you? You should sign up," said Sayori Wakaba, who was in her usual spot right next to her. The reserved Sayori (or Yori, as she was usually addressed) was the perfect compliment to her best friend, Yuuki, who was very excitable. As her steadfast friend, Yori encouraged her roommate to enjoy life more in between her very busy schedule. Even though they shared a room, the instances that they got to really spend quality time together were few, and those times were usually the _only_ free time Yuuki had.

Yuuki sighed heavily, both from exhaustion and a little worry. "Yes, I do, but I don't know if I _can_ take the class. I sure could use the credit, though. My grade point average is terrible." Yuuki Cross wasn't one who grasped certain concepts easily. She did reasonably well in a few of her classes, such as, physical education. As soon as you put numbers in front of her, however, like in calculus, she was a lost cause. Unfortunately for her, this semester her courses were mostly scientifically and mathematically based.

"Why shouldn't you try? I've seen you dance before, and I think you could be good at it. I may even join you." Yori was well-aware of Yuuki's constant school troubles, so the comment didn't phase her anymore.

"You really think I would do well?" Yuuki asked with a renewed hope shining in her amber orbs.

Yori nodded and smiled, her sunshine-colored hair glittering with the light from the setting sun. Ever since her father, Kaien Cross, took her to see a ballet when she was younger, Yuuki had held a love for it in her heart. As a little girl, she would try to imitate the beautiful dancers when she thought no one was looking, and she still did it occasionally to this day. She didn't know if she wanted to pursue it as a profession, but for now it was just something relaxing for her.

Yori, taking pity on her, stayed behind in the large classroom and tutored her best friend while Zero slept quietly on his desk. An hour later, the sun was disappearing over the horizon, and Yuuki began gathering her things.

"Ugh. This class is so boring. I don't understand how you do it."

Sayori giggled softly. "You'll get better at it, but you should go. Zero's already snuck out."

"What? That jerk. I'm going to give him a piece of my mind. He is supposed to wait for me," Yuuki said, fuming.

"Don't use up too much of your energy. I'll see you later tonight," Yori said, laughing quietly at her best friend's relationship with the brooding guardian. The observant girl was aware of Zero's hidden feelings for his fellow guardian, and she wondered when, or if, their relationship would grow. For now, she would stay out of it and let things take their course.

After she grabbed a quick snack, Yuuki ran through the stone walls of Cross Academy, hoping that she could get Zero to cover her guardian duties for a while. Honestly, she was a little apprehensive. He tolerated being a guardian, to begin with. Who knows what would happen if one of the night class students said the wrong thing to him if he were the only one on patrol?

As she ran through the halls filled with students figuring out how to spend their free time, she saw Zero's figure walking slowly in the distance towards the Moon Dorm. Wanting to punish him for leaving her behind, Yuuki picked up speed and prepared to smack Zero on the back, only to see him sidestep at the last minute. Yuuki nearly lost her balance, but managed to recover without smacking her face into a nearby tree.

"With how hard you were breathing, I could hear you coming all the way from the classrooms. Maybe you should exercise more during duty instead of daydreaming," Zero said, obviously in a sour mood, yet a little bemused at his best friend.

"Oh, shut up! I can sneak up on people when I want to. Besides, you are one to talk. You're the one that acts like you're sleeping during duty!" she retorted as they continued on their walk to the foreboding gates.

"There's a difference; I'm listening to see what sounds out of place. You, on the other hand, are tuned out because you're daydreaming about Kana-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Zero Kiryuu, or I'll tell the Headmaster that you want to have family bonding time," Yuuki said with an evil glint in her eyes.

"I'm _not_ really part of the family. Not like that," said the silver-haired vampire through clenched teeth.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. He's _my_ father, and I can keep him." A group of girls in black uniforms ran past them in a hurry, determined to try and catch of glimpse of the white-clad night class students without interference from their "bodyguards."

"Hmmm, the day class girls seem a little louder today." Yuuki's eyes suddenly got very big as she had a terrible realization. "The night class students can't audition for ballet, too, can they?"

In her mind, if the night class students were given the opportunity to audition, they would get all the parts, for sure. They all were very beautiful, and exhibited a gracefulness that most humans didn't possess. Not to mention, that they excelled at almost anything they set their minds to. Her companion's mood soured a little more at the mention of the banes of his existence.

"The teacher didn't mention the night class being able to audition for the advanced class, but it may have been to keep a mob from starting. I doubt that the vampires would be interested in a human production, but Kuran may think that it will be a 'good-will' opportunity. Why are you so worried about that anyway?"

"Well...you see...I want to ask you about that. Could...would you take over my duties for a while so that I can go?"

The lilac-eyed vampire stopped in his tracks, judging her expression. "You're serious." Yuuki remained silent and Zero sighed, unable to deny her. "Fine, I'll do it so you can go, but _only_ if you get that annoying father or yours to help me if I need it. I can't be expected to patrol the whole grounds by myself on the bad days."

"Deal! Thank you, Zero!" she said joyfully, as she gave him a quick hug. "Come on, let's go before they tear down the gates!"

Ignoring the fact that she dodged his question about her worry, he smiled slightly to himself as he approached the mass of girls swooning over the mysterious night students. All girls on his side wisely behaved. He watched Yuuki blowing her whistle every ten seconds, and trying to be as authoritative as a girl her size could manage. Even in a large crowd, he saw only her, but he would never tell her that. He was brought out of his reverie when the gates slowly opened, and the bane(s) of his existence walked onto the grounds.

"Hello, ladies! You're looking lovely, as usual!" greeted Hanabusa Aidou with a cheery smile.

"Hello, Idol!" the girls chorused.

The remainder of the night class students paraded through as Aidou did his 'bang' routine with his fans. Takuma gave a wave and smile now and then (a genuine one to Yuuki, as well), but the rest of the students appeared typically disinterested. Kaname, as he sometimes did, stayed a little behind the others to talk to Yuuki.

"Yuuki, how are you doing today?" More than a few disappointed groans were heard from the day class girls. The Night Dorm President had his own fan-girl following, and it drove them crazy to see him give the female guardian preferential treatment.

"Uh, I-I'm fine, Kaname. Thank you." The handsome and kind (to her, at least) vampire still managed to make her stumble over her words, even though she had known him longer than Zero.

"I heard the Headmaster has added to the school curriculum. Are you planning on enrolling in the ballet class?" he asked, as the wind brushed his hair, ever so slightly.

"Y-yes, actually I am," she said proudly.

Kaname's gaze softened a little and he gave a subtle smile. "I'm sure you will do great. Let me know how it goes, alright?"

"O-ok. Sure," she stuttered as Kaname followed the rest of the white-clad students to the school. Yuuki could feel the jealous girl's glares on her back as she watched Kaname leave with the others.

"What was that, Yuuki?" demanded one.

"Yeah, how come he encouraged you when he didn't even ask us if we want to audition!" said another.

A circle of girls was slowly forming around the petite guardian, and she was quickly trying to devise an escape route. She looked around frantically for Zero, and began to panic internally when she couldn't locate him. Just as she was about to break into a run, the girls froze and looked behind her.

"I suggest you get back to your dorms before I make you," said her fellow guardian. The frivolous girls quickly obeyed without question and left towards the Sun Dorm like their skirts were on fire.

Once they got out of hearing distance, Yuuki let out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding. "Thanks, Zero. They sure were angry with me, huh?"

"Whatever. Let's get ready for patrol," he said as they both began the long path back to the school grounds.

Luckily, the two guardians didn't find any stray day class students sneaking around that night. It was probably because they were all too busy planning for the class, they reasoned. Before they went to bed, Zero escorted Yuuki to the Headmaster's house to arrange for the switch in patrols the following night. The warm glow from his office lamp could be seen from the path, indicating that he was still working when most were asleep. Zero and Yuuki opened the door to the familiar home and wasted no time by heading straight for his office.

"Ah, Yuuki! Zero! What brings you here this fine night?" the overly emotional Kaien chimed as they walked in. He was wearing his usual frumpy and comfortable-looking attire. They both thought that he was way too chipper for being awake at this hour. If it weren't for the fact that he raised them, they might have suspicioned that he was a vampire, himself.

"Um, I'm here to ask a favor, Headma-father." Yuuki still stumbled over calling Kaien what he actually was to her, even though she had been in his care for many years, already.

"Anything, my dear! What can daddy do for you?" Zero rolled his eyes at how much Yuuki had Kaien wrapped around her finger, whether she was aware of it or not.

"Would you take over my duties, if Zero requests it, for the semester so that I can enroll in the ballet class you approved?" The brown-haired girl twiddled her thumbs in slight anticipation, both from trying to guess his reaction and attempting to prepare for a potential bone-crushing hug that her father was famous for.

"Of course I will!" he said as he did just that. "I'm so glad you've decided to enroll; I submitted the proposal for this class because of you, after all. I can see it now: my darling daughter, the star of the school ballet! I'm sure you'll do much better than those night class students."

"Ni-night class students?" Her fear was coming true, and she was starting to lose confidence.

"Why, yes. Night class students are given the opportunity to audition for the advanced class, as well, to promote good will. Besides, it wouldn't be fair if only the day class had extracurricular activities. I thought it would be a fun surprise for everyone if I didn't have it announced. Oh, and the instructor is one of the night class teachers. Isn't that great?"

"Y-you mean that the n-night class will be combined with the day class for the advanced lessons?" Yuuki was shocked that he would approve such a thing, as interactions between the two sets of students had to be supervised heavily.

"Were you going to tell us about it so that we could supervise?" Zero asked through clenched teeth, trying to keep from strangling the man in front of him.

"Not right away. I thought I'd let you be surprised with the rest of them." The Chairman reasoned. Zero held his hand over his face, as his caretaker took a softer tone. He knew Zero feared for his daughter's safety above all others, and he wanted to quell his worry a bit so that he wouldn't argue the matter further. "Kaname is going to be there, Zero, to make sure the auditions happen without incident, and Yuuki will be there, anyway, as a student and a guardian."

"Wait, WHAT? I have to audition in front of him? Why didn't he tell me he was going to be there?" She was pulling at her hair a little bit, and had the same look on her face as the day the teacher announced a pop quiz in her math class.

"Probably so that you wouldn't freak out like you are now," Zero replied in monotone.

"Well, Kaname won't be there the _entire_ time, only when the classes are combined the first few sessions or so. If Yuuki isn't accepted, which I'm sure won't be an issue, I will supervise the class, myself. Who knows, I might even participate," the Headmaster happily said to console his near-hysterical daughter.

Zero sighed heavily as he pulled the shell-shocked Yuuki out the door. "You are _going_ to the audition, Yuuki. You'll do fine. Just pretend he isn't there like I always do."

"Bye, bye my dears! Daddy loves you!" the Chairman sing-songed as he watched the two people he cared about most go out into the cool night.

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**A/N: **And that's the end of the first chapter! *author throws confetti into the air* ;) I can't believe this is 6 pages long already. I hope you enjoyed it.

After this, my notes won't be so epically long. Until the next chapter! "We'll see you then!" (wink wink OHSHC fans!).


	2. Chapter 2:  The Audition

**Author's Note: **

Hello loyal readers! Thank you for reading this far. Also, a big thank you goes to "Sunlight Charmer" and "TayKinn" for their speedy and helpful reviews. You made my day!

I thought it was cruel for me to hold this chapter back if I already had it finished, so here it is for your enjoyment.

Just FYI: Soon (chapter 3) we will be introducing _some_ drama, for those that live off that stuff in fics (including myself) and to keep you all interested. I've got some ideas for some misunderstandings between certain people, and some other problems. For those of you who haven't guessed, I got my inspiration for this story from when Yuuki dances in the ending / opening credits of each season.

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Chapter 2: The Audition

Over the next week, Yuuki, along with several other day class hopefuls, met after school in the regular class. Everyone who was interested was offered a spot in that particular course, but they all had the opportunity to audition for the advanced class after four weeks time. That class was planning on doing their own, much more complicated routine.

There were twenty girls, including Yuuki, participating. Ms. Himura was especially patient and kind with the human girls, considering she was a noble vampire. She was very similar to Takuma in personality (although, a little bit more critical), and had soft, brown hair pulled neatly into a bun. Her eyes were a deep, cobalt blue, and her skin had a rosy hue to it. The slim instructor had the experience in dance of someone much older than she looked, and Yuuki wondered, sometimes, just how old she really was. Overall, Yuuki thought she looked like the perfect ballet dancer, like the figurines on ornately decorated music boxes that she would admire in shop windows.

Today was audition day, and Yuuki felt sick with worry as she sat on the cool, wooden floor. It felt like a thousand butterflies were swimming in her stomach, and she was fighting herself to keep from fidgeting. Yori, true to her word, enrolled in the class with her best friend, and she was trying her best to get her to calm down. Currently, Yuuki was having a staring contest with the floor, determined not to look at anyone dancing around her.

Just a few moments ago, Ms. Himura announced to everyone else that a night class group had been rehearsing separately, and now they were auditioning together tonight, competing for the same roles. This, of course, led to a very excited group of girls. A few of the night class boys supposedly volunteered to participate, but Yuuki wondered how many of them were there because they really wanted to be.

All of the hormonal girls held their breath as the enigmatic night class paraded into the room. Overall, there were more day class students auditioning (all girls) than night class; a whole six night class students were present (three boys and three girls), not including Kaname. Unfortunately for Yuuki, she knew most of the vampires well enough that it was making the auditions all the more awkward for her.

The cheerful Takuma, not surprisingly, seemed the most eager to participate, while Aidou and a bored-looking Shiki were present, as well. There was a lovely girl vampire with short, red hair that Yuuki had never learned the name of, an equally bored-looking Rima, and then there was Ruka.

Ruka, being the lady Yuuki always imagined her to be, had been trained to dance in several styles of her choosing, and low and behold ballet was one of them. In between avoiding death glares from Ruka, potential playful teasing from Aidou, and the heart-melting glances from Kaname, Yuuki had nowhere to look besides her own feet.

"Yuuki, are you alright? You've been holding your head down for a while now. Don't you want to practice?" a concerned Yori asked.

"No, I'm fine!" Yuuki responded rather quickly.

Her best friend merely laughed off her quirkiness. "You act like your hiding from somebody. Do you not want the night class students to see you?"

Yuuki shook her head furiously in a 'no' gesture, her chocolate locks brushing back and forth in a flurry. "Well, I think they've recognized you anyway. Here comes one of them now," Yori whispered as Yuuki's head shot up in apprehension.

"Hello, Yuuki. I guess this answers my question as to where you've been lately during your patrol. I didn't know you liked ballet," said a smiling Takuma, with eyes as green as a meadow, as he knelt down to her level.

The petite girl had to blink a few times to register just who was speaking to her. Once she realized who it was, she relaxed a little, as she had been worried that it had been Kaname, or worse, Aidou. Finally getting her mind to send a signal to her mouth to speak, Yuuki replied to his subtle query. "Yes, I've enjoyed trying to dance since I saw a ballet many years ago. I didn't know you liked ballet, either, Takuma. None of you really seem like the type," she said matter-of-factly.

Takuma smiled and Yuuki began to panic that she had accidentally offended him once she realized what she had said. Being Takuma, he wasn't easily rattled (outwardly, anyway). "I mean, not that your type is bad. Not that I know what type you are. It's just you are...that...and I didn't think - "

"Relax, Yuuki. I know what you mean," he replied, chuckling. "True, we normally don't have such interests, at least Aidou and Shiki, but I thought this would be fun and they agreed. Besides, Kaname thought this might be a good opportunity for our two...groups to work together."

"Oh. Y-yes, of course. The Headmas-father will be glad to hear that," she said, going into school ambassador mode out of habit.

Takuma leaned in close to Yuuki, as a few nearby day class girls snorted in disgust that she was, once again, getting special treatment. "By the way, Yuuki, Kaname and I are rooting for you. We can't wait to see your audition, him especially" he gushed as he swiftly joined his fellow vampires in the adjacent corner. Luckily, the rest of them were too busy dealing with fan girls, so they didn't have time to bother her. Yuuki blushed heavily at Takuma's comment and became all the more nervous. For the first time in her life, she just wished that Kaname would leave so that she could focus and not make a fool out of herself. Although, she made a mental note that Takuma said that he wanted to see her succeed, as well. That was definitely something she didn't expect to hear. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt someone gently poking her shoulder.

"Yuuki, you might want to be on your guard; the day class girls are getting jealous, and I think that a few of the night class students don't like that you are here."

She, quite tired of the jealous stares from both types of beings, sighed in irritation. "Yeah, I know. They won't leave me alone."

Before Yori could clarify whether she meant the day or night class, Ms. Himura clapped her hands together to get everyone's attention. Thirty-one sets of eyes, vampire and human alike, all focused on the tall dance teacher.

"Listen up, students! It's now time for auditions to begin. You will be auditioning in four separate groups: the day class girls, the night class girls, night class boys, and, finally, a combination audition of the night class. After these groups have finished, I will decide who will be called back for the main parts in the advanced class. My decision will be posted outside this door tomorrow morning just before classes for the day. For fun, let's start with the night class. Boys, you're up!"

The first half of auditions went by with Yuuki's mouth hanging open slightly. As expected, the night class students excelled at ballet, especially Ruka, much to Yuuki's dismay. All of the vampires made the dance look effortless to them. Even the boys possessed a grace and elegance that Yuuki could only dream of. The day class girls must have agreed, as they eagerly clapped after their performance had ended. Much too soon for her tastes, it was now her time to shine.

"Wonderful, night class. You may be seated. Day class girls, time to show them what you've got!" Ms. Himura encouraged as she prepared the music to play.

Yuuki slowly got to her feet and joined the rest of her peers in her usual spot among them as Yori did the same. Unfortunately, Yuuki's place was very near Kaname and the night class. She cringed to herself, and tried to avoid looking at any of them. Instead, she looked pleadingly over to her steadfast friend, who gave her a thumbs up. Yuuki saw her mouth words of encouragement, which, oddly enough, helped her snap out of her misery. There was something about Yori's kind, sweet, demeanor that helped her see through the fog. At times like this, she was halfway tempted to let Yori in on the big secret at the Academy, just so that she would be able to talk to her about her problems without lying.

To make herself face her fear of falling on her face in front of Kaname, she gathered up the courage to look him in the eye as she took her beginning pose. As she had guessed, Kaname had been watching her for a while with a forlorn look in his unique-colored eyes, due to her ignoring him. Once he saw her smile softly at him, he quickly perked up and smiled subtly in return.

Courage renewed, Yuuki closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She imagined that she was the only one in the whole room at that moment and concentrated on her routine. As the music started, it was if she had become one with it. She glided and twirled with all the grace of the night class, surprising even them. Somehow, the usually cute and pretty student had transformed into a beautiful, elegant young lady. All of the emotions from her pure heart were poured into her movements. Who knew that the sometimes clumsy, awkward school prefect could excel in something so refined?

As the music and routine came to a close, the night class clapped respectfully, but almost all of their eyes were on the hidden gem of the group; Yuuki. They naturally found themselves watching her out of curiosity for Kaname's obvious favoritism towards her, but now they watched her with surprise. Even Kaname had a slight look of pleasant surprise on his face, which only his best friend, Takuma, saw in time and was able to acknowledge with a smile. Kaname, of course, knew that she had it in her all along to succeed, but he didn't realize how _well_ she would do it.

"Fantastic, day class! Auditions are done for today. I'll post the results tomorrow morning. All of those NOT on the list do NOT need to show up to rehearsal tomorrow night. Those individuals will report to rehearsal at the same time on Wednesday, instead. You are dismissed!" Ms. Himura clarified to the group of mostly eager dancers.

The room was soon filled with the hustle and bustle of tutus and slippers walking along the wooden floor. The girls were eagerly chatting with one another, discussing when they did right, and when they did wrong in the routine. Yuuki breathed a sigh of relief that it was finally over. Her shoulders and body posture visibly relaxed at her instructor's dismissal, and an ache in her muscles from the stress made itself known. Without thinking, Yuuki walked over to her best friend, who had her school uniform ready for her to go change into.

"You did great, Yuuki! I even think you'll get the lead!" Yori exclaimed as she passed Yuuki the familiar dark-colored uniform.

"Thanks, Yori. I...I hope that I did as well as you say. The night class students look tough to beat!"

"Yeah, who would've guessed that they would be so good at it?" her friend replied rhetorically, not knowing their true nature. "I know how much this class means to you, Yuuki, but if you don't get the spot you want, I want you to know that you're still the best in my book."

Yuuki's eyes shimmered with love for her best friend, thankful that she had been lucky enough to meet her. She quickly gave her a hug, and resumed gathering her clothes. "Thank you, Yori. I guess I'll go to the changing room, then I've got to resume my patrol for tonight," Yuuki said, exhausted already.

"Okay. Try to relax later so that you aren't too sore in the morning. I'll see you in the room," said Sayori as she calmly walked out of the room without batting an eyelash to the beautiful night class students. A few of those students were watching Yuuki out of the corner of their eye, as if trying to figure her out.

Yuuki ignored the feeling of stares on her back, and took her time gathering her things, knowing that she would have to wait a while before a changing room would be free. She merely stood there, absorbed in her own thoughts, as she allowed herself to escape to a plain of thought were there was no stress. Once she was one of the only girls left in the room, she was finally able to change into her familiar ebony uniform. As she closed the velvet curtain behind her, she reflected on all that she had accomplished. While she wasn't exactly a studious person, she was gifted in athletics, and dancing happened to be a hidden passion of hers.

She smiled softly as she carefully removed her ballet shoes, pink with lace details along the ribbon. Her over-the-top father had insisted on buying them for her when she looked at them longingly in a shop window in town, before the class was even offered. She protested, at first, saying that she didn't want him to spend the money on her, and she didn't have formal experience, anyway. Her father, however, told her that she deserved them, and promptly bought the pair in her size. The gift certainly came in handy for this class.

As she shed the last of her dancing attire, she began to take on her disciplinary committee demeanor with each piece of her school uniform. With the excitement of learning that the night class students (some of the most attractive, no less) were possibly going to be dancing with day class girls spreading throughout the whole campus like a wildfire, the likelihood of giggling girls out tonight past curfew was high. The Headmaster coded these eventful nights as "Red Eclipse" nights, for the Sun and the Moon Dorms overlapping. The red, he elaborated, was for the vampire aspect of it, and he just thought the name sounded cool. Zero preferred to simply call the days "a pain in the ass."

After securing the Artemis Rod to her leg, Yuuki gathered her small shoulder bag and walked out into the quiet hallway. Most of the lights in the building were turned down, but not to the point that she couldn't see where she was going.

Just as she closed the classroom door, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a vampire call her name. Yuuki yelped and put her hand over her heart to calm herself as she turned to face him; she was sure that it was probably thundering loudly in his sensitive ears.

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**A/N:**

Who could it be? I know, I'm terrible for leaving you with a slight cliffhanger, but it seemed the best place to cut it off. I'm putting some drama in the next chapter, but I want to make sure it doesn't seem too forced, if that makes sense.

As long as life doesn't get in the way, I should be updating again soon. Also, keep a look out for a few other fics that I _might _be posting in the next week if the mood strikes me. I've literally got about ten stories on my computer that I've been writing over the last 6 months (of different animes/mangas), and I think they would be better shared with the world! :)

Again, reviews are very helpful for my writing and the story, itself. If you don't like something, let me know. If no reviews are submitted after a long time, I begin to feel as insecure as the Headmaster when Yuuki doesn't talk to him for a week when she first moves in...

Until next time,

A Bleeding Heart Blooms


	3. Chapter 3:  The Results

**A/N: Hello readers, both new and old. This chapter delivers the previously promised drama. **

**I want to make it clear, that what happens in this chapter does not set any romantic pursuits in stone, if that makes sense. That will become clear later down the road. I have an outline for how this story is going to end and I**_** think**_** you will all be pleased with what I have decided. **

**I will say that the ending will be sweet, tasteful to all shippers, be as realistic as I can manage in the VK universe I've created, and that sequels may be involved. **

**Also, per suggestion of one of my loyal readers, I will be introducing some Yuuki and Shiki conversations very soon. After their suggestion, I realized that those two barely interact in the anime, so I think it will be refreshing (that made me think of an episode of OHSHC!) to see the two of them interact. **

**Also coming to the plate in the next few installments will be dramatic situations with our favorite blond-haired vampires, Hanabusa and Takuma! (Not necessarily in that order).**

**Stay tuned to see what happens! :D**

Recap from Chapter 2:

_Just as she closed the classroom door, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a vampire call her name. Yuuki yelped and put her hand over her heart to calm herself as she turned to face him; she was sure that it was probably thundering loudly in his sensitive ears. _

Chapter 3: The Results

"I'm sorry, Yuuki. I thought you saw me when you opened the door," he said with a very sympathetic look. He approached her cautiously, with a look in his eyes that melted her heart.

Yuuki tried to laugh off her embarrassment. "T-that's alright, Kaname. Ha, ha. Nothing like a good scare to get the blood flowing." Kaname looked bemused. "Uh, that didn't come out like I thought it would."

"No problem, Yuuki. It is a common expression. You looked deep in thought in the room before I left, so I asked the others to leave without me. Is anything troubling you?"

The warm-hearted girl immediately put up the walls that she had built over the years to keep others from worrying about her. "No, nothing is troubling me. I've just been exhausted lately, and I still have to go out and do patrol's tonight. Those day class girls will be a little more difficult to handle for the next few nights." In truth, Yuuki was worried that she hadn't done as well as expected. That, combined with the stresses of schoolwork in other classes and the lies she had to spin about the night class had drained her energy recently.

Kaname was no fool, but still played along with her white lie so as not to press the matter. Honestly, though, he was a little hurt that she didn't feel like she could use him as a shoulder to cry on, so-to-speak. After when he had bitten Ruka in front of her all those years ago, he supposed that it was to be expected. He wondered if Kiryu got the same treatment. "Yes, I suppose you are correct. During these exciting times the girls fawn over us more than usual."

"Yeah. I wish that they would just get the idea that you aren't interested and leave you in peace." Yuuki's mouth had, once again, spoke without consulting her brain and she flushed a bright red at her statement's implications.

The young pureblood's hope rose just a little that he hadn't pushed her as far away as he thought. "Really? If that were to happen, then I wouldn't get to see you as often," he said with shimmering eyes, knowing very well that he was causing her heart to flutter like a hummingbird.

"Oh, um, yeah, that's true," she mumbled. She was frantically trying to think a way out of this awkward conversation, but at the same time she was enjoying where it was going. Many a night, she'd had conversations, however brief, with Zero over the fact that a relationship with her hero wouldn't last, but some part of her didn't want to acknowledge it. Finally, a lightbulb went off in her head with a change in topic. "So, um, I didn't know that Takuma, Hanabusa, and Shiki liked to dance. I can kind of understand the girls, Ruka more-so."

Kaname looked slightly disappointed at her quick change in subject, but hid it expertly from her view. He noted both of them were the same in that regard. They began walking slowly towards the exit as he gave her a glimpse into vampire society. "All aristocratic vampires are taught to dance for the many galas they have to attend, and they also are taught to appreciate its many different forms. I'll admit that none of the men particularly had an interest in ballet at first, but I asked Takuma to try it, as a favor. He always looks forward to the dances each year, anyway. Takuma was the one that actually convinced Shiki, who then asked Hanabusa."

"You asked him, as a favor? What for?" she asked, stopping in her tracks.

"Yes, I did, for a few reasons. This class seemed like a good way to showcase human-vampire relations to the hunters and the Senate. I also know how important this class is to you, and I wanted someone in the group that I could trust to watch over you and the other humans in case something were to happen. I wouldn't want any of the night class students to break the rules during a lesson, including Ms. Himura."

"Wait, you want them to watch over me? LIke a babysitter?" she asked, suddenly getting a little defensive. Without meaning, he had increased the width of the river that separated her from Kaname by grouping her with the 'other humans.' Yuuki wondered if maybe that was all she would ever be, as if a label were permanently stamped to her forehead. She was keeping her voice fairly level for the time being, but if he said the wrong thing it could easily escalate into her becoming more upset.

Kaname kept his cool demeanor, but he chose his next words very carefully. He hated having arguments with Yuuki, no matter how petty, and it usually resulted in windows breaking or lights going out once she was out of sight. "No, not like a babysitter. I didn't mean for you to take it that way, Yuuki. I merely asked them to be there to help you, and watch out for you when Kiryu and I cannot." He knew that the night class members wouldn't bite a human on purpose, but there were those rare occasions when they lost control. Kaname had lived with Takuma and his family for many years, and he knew the blond-haired gentleman wouldn't lay a finger on her if his life depended on it.

Yuuki sighed frustratedly and looked out the window to her left. "I can take care of myself, you know. I am a guardian of this Academy."

Kaname could feel his control of the situation slipping further. "Yes, you are a guardian, and you are trained to fight, but don't you remember how you were cornered when you were chased by the Level-E vampires in town? You aren't invincible, Yuuki. Why won't you let me watch over you?"

"Because I don't want to be watched over! I want you to see that I am going to be an adult very soon, and that I can take care of myself when everyone goes away." she said with a mixture of hurt and anger in her eyes. She chastised herself for letting her emotions get to the surface like this. She didn't want to burden anyone, least of all, Kaname, who was already so lonely-looking.

"What do you mean 'when everyone goes away'?" he asked, now more concerned than borderline agitated. The problem that she was hiding from him was deeper than he thought, and he wasn't going to let her hide it any longer when it was causing this much pain.

Yuuki's expression was similar to one that a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car would have. Unable to think of a way of escape, she merely stood rigid, staring at Kaname as if he had green skin. The pureblood vampire exhibited a rare display of compassion towards a human girl as he cautiously walked closer to her. No other person alive, save the Headmaster, had seen him act with such concern towards another being. Before she could answer, and before his hand could brush her bangs away from her beautiful eyes, another vampire shattered the mood of their talk.

"You are keeping Yuuki from doing her duties, Kuran. Don't you have somewhere better to be right now?" asked Zero, who was in no mood to deal with the vampire he hated most in the world.

"Yuuki and I are having a serious conversation, and you've rudely interrupted it," the mahogany-haired vampire said with blazing eyes. Yuuki, throughout this exchange, kept her back to Zero, not wanting him to see the distressed look on her face. He would most likely overreact and blame Kaname, and Yuuki couldn't handle them fighting at the moment.

"Well I'm sure this conversation can wait. Let's go, Yuuki. The longer we stand here, the more opportunities Kuran's minions have to break the rules." Zero reached for the petite girl's shoulders, but stopped with the sound of Kaname's voice.

"Are you insinuating that the night class students break the rules because I give them permission to?" Kaname asked as the air in the hall seemed to drop in temperature with each passing second. The sparks between the two vampires were nearly visible, and the air was filled with a tension that Yuuki could feel all around her. Zero dropped his hands to his side, clenching them in a fist to keep himself from lashing out.

"You said that, not me _vampire_," he taunted with a smirk. Zero's neck had begun throbbing ever so slightly in the last few days, and his bloodlust was flaring up again. He didn't want to give Kaname the satisfaction of seeing him reduced to that pitiful state again, let alone with Yuuki. She had been giving him her blood for a little while now, much to his protest, but they both refused to let anyone else find out. If Kaname learned of what was happening, Yuuki was sure that something terrible would happen.

"May I remind you that you are a vampire, too? Or have you forgotten after living in the day class dorm?" Kaname's fangs were bared when he spoke, just slightly, as vampires were known for when they become angry.

"Don't you _dare_ try to group me in with the likes of you monsters!" Zero said, with his every word dripping with venom. His fangs were doing the same, and it made Kaname furious that he had the audacity to bare his fangs to a pureblood in his state.

"Monsters? That seems a bit harsh. I think you are calling us that because you don't want to admit what you are, and what you will become," Kaname said, eyes briefly flashing a brilliant red. Yuuki saw it, as did Zero, and she braced herself for the inevitable moment when Zero would snap. Sure enough, Zero reached for his Bloody Rose gun and prepared to aim it at Kaname. Zero was furious, both at himself and at the vampire in front of him. Kaname was a pureblood, the creature he hated most in the world, and Zero was a Level-D vampire losing a bit of his sanity with each passing day. The silver weapon was pointed at the vampire in white, and just as the tiny, silver chain fell that was holding the gun to his coat, Zero realized that he was aimed straight for Yuuki's heart.

"Stop it! Both of you! Fighting like this isn't solving anything!" she yelled, angry tears threatening to form in her eyes. Her arms were outstretched to protect her childhood friend from the death that the bullet would bring, regardless of the fact that he had the speed to move out of the way before the bullet hit its mark. She was breathing a little heavily with the adrenaline pumping through her body, and she was giving Zero a look that promised a world of pain if he didn't back off. Kaname hadn't even flinched when Zero drew his weapon, but it hurt his heart to see his dear girl so upset. Zero reluctantly put away his gun and hid his face from her view.

"Fine! If you want to protect him like a foolish _girl_ worshiping her hero than go ahead. I'm going to go back outside to finish my patrol, like I am supposed to do. You start yours when you sort out your priorities," Zero said as he walked away briskly.

Yuuki watched his retreating form sadly, wishing that she could help ease his worries, even just a little bit. She new that he must be hurting, mentally, more than usual to be so short with her. His comment did hurt, though, as it had been intended, and the hot tears of stress that had been threatening to spill over for the last few minutes were becoming more difficult to hold back. That, added to the fact that she was thoroughly embarrassed that Kaname heard what he said. Yuuki wore her heart on her sleeve, and she always found herself crying a bit more than she would like. Frankly, she hated it, as she didn't want to be seen as childish, but somehow she couldn't hold back. She felt a lump in her throat, and she was sure that if she tried to speak her voice would break. By closing her eyes, breathing deeply, and clearing her mind, she tried to stop her outpouring of emotion.

"I'm sorry, Yuuki. It was wrong of us to become so unruly over a few words. I didn't mean to upset you," Kaname said softly as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Yuuki only tensed up even more, which he noticed. Being a vampire, he could hear her heartbeat, and it was beating as fast as it had when the two boys had almost come to blows.

"Yuuki? Are you alright?" he asked her, an all-too familiar question for her. He carefully walked in front of her to get a better look at her face. Just as he suspected, Yuuki was fighting off tears, and it was becoming a losing battle. "Yuuki..." he said with sadness, upset that his precious girl was reduced to such a state.

She wiped away a silver tear that glistened with the moonlight down her face, and gave him a bittersweet smile. Regardless of what Zero and the others thought about the mysterious pureblood, he was more concerned with her well-being than he probably ought to be. "I'm...I'm fine, Kaname. Don't worry about him. He is just a bit more crabby tonight, and he is right; I have got to start my patrols. Those girls won't wait for me to start sneaking out."

He gave her a bittersweet smile in return, as he reached up and carefully moved a stray strand of her soft hair away from her shining eyes. "You have such a warm heart, Yuuki. I hope it never breaks."

Giving him a quick squeeze on his hand with a thankful smile, Yuuki slowly let go of his strong hands and walked out the door.

Even after she had walked a short distance away from the doorway, Kaname was having to keep his emotions in check so as not to frighten the girl by breaking a window. Seeing her cry was one of the sights that he hated most in the world, and it made him want to kill anyone that caused her tears. For her sake, though, he would restrain himself from punishing the silver-haired vampire, but...just barely.

The Headmaster's daughter walked briskly out into the night, her mind clouded with jumbled thoughts as she walked among the classroom buildings towards the night class side. She wondered what to do when she ran into her lavender-eyed friend, and hoped that she hadn't caused Kaname too much grief. Around this time, Zero patrolled the day class area for this part of his shift. His intimidating presence outside of the Sun Dorm usually kept any adventurous girls from going too far. This left Yuuki to patrol the academic buildings and the entrance to the Moon Dorm grounds, usually with only the rare stray vampire to direct back to class.

For the next two hours, nothing eventful happened during her patrols. The only sounds she heard were the soft steps of her own feet and the quiet chirping of the night creatures that lived in the woods surrounding campus. Overall, it was a very calming sound to her, combined with the ambient glow of the silver moon. Walking through one of the clearings, she found herself rehearsing a few of her dance steps underneath the light of the Earth's constant companion. It was something that she had been doing since she first taught herself to dance. She twirled in place and leapt as best as she could in her Academy-issued boots, trying to enjoy the moment of innocence. Soon, however, the spell was broken, as fatigue began to catch up with her.

With her patrols finally done for the night, as the last night class student made their way to the dorms, the exhausted young girl began the long trek back towards her father's home to clean the grime off of herself. Her feet and muscles were a little sore from practice, still, and a hot shower really sounded good.

Blindly walking into the familiar home, she grabbed her night clothes and cleaning supplies as she walked down the maroon-carpeted hallway towards the bathroom. Once again, Yuuki had forgotten to notice the towel on the door, indicating that the shower was occupied. Only when she opened the door to an irritated Zero did she realized what she had done.

"I thought I told you to knock," he said as he continued drying off his hair with a towel. Luckily, he had already partially dressed, but he still had yet to put on a shirt. Yuuki's eyes got wide as she blinked at Zero's black pants-clad form. His hair was still dripping slightly from the shower, making his unique hair shine like silver diamonds. The smell of his shower soap still lingered in the humid air of the small room, filling it with the musky fragrance of the ocean mist mixed with a subtle hint of orange blossom. If it didn't smell like it was obviously made for a man, Yuuki might want to wear it, herself, sometime. A thought crossed her mind as to whether that was the same scent his father wore, but this was not the time or place to discuss it.

"I...uh...I'm sorry!" she said as she turned her back to him. Zero stared at her for a while, trying to figure out why she wasn't going to wait for him in the nearby family room. Her posture was stiff, yet also dejected-looking, like a puppy that had been told not to bark at the neighbor.

"Whatever. Just get out," he said curtly as he began combing his hair into place. He was surprised when she refused to move, and he stopped in his task to yell at her, but she cut him off before the words left his mouth.

"No, Zero, I won't leave. Not until you tell me what's been bothering you today. Do you need blood? Is that it?," she asked almost quietly, as if preparing herself for the rejection that always came.

Halfway snorting at her steadfast determination to help him, he continued going the easy route to hide his pain by being gruff with her. "Nothing is bothering me, Yuuki, now get out. You will get your turn soon."

"No! I will not leave, Zero Kiryu, not unless you carry me out of here by yourself. I know that you've been hurting more lately, especially after the hurtful things you said to me in front of Kaname!"

"Ah, so that's it. You are just upset because Kuran was there when I brought you out of your fantasy world, huh? Figures."

Yuuki gasped that he would say something so cruel to her. He had bad days before, but it rarely escalated to this level. Once again, her eyes pricked with hurtful tears as she gripped her towel with a ferocity that threatened to tear it in two. "Zero...no, that's not...why would you...?"

"Stop stammering like an idiot and get out, Yuuki. I'm not in the mood to talk right now. If you want someone to ramble needlessly to, go talk to your father. You come by it naturally, after all."

Showing up with impeccable timing, the Headmaster came around the corner to figure out what all the yelling was for. Normally, he let them work things out between them, as they had small disagreements regularly. Despite his front of being aloof, he did make a point to intervene when the arguments sounded serious. "What is going on? Why is Yuuki looking so upset?" he asked almost innocently.

Like a dam breaking, Yuuki couldn't be nice anymore, and released her emotions onto her unsuspecting father. "Because Zero is a jerk, that's why! An ungrateful, self-absorbed, hateful jerk!" she yelled as she ran past him into the hallway. She dropped her towel and clean clothes onto the floor as she ran out into the front yard to clear her mind. Finding a nearby tree to lean against, she hugged herself as the tears ran down her rosy cheeks. Her stomach ached with each sob, feeling as if she was being punched with each breath. Her eyes burned with hot tears that made her eyelashes glisten like the stars.

Back inside the house, the Headmaster looked inquiringly towards his charge, silently asking if he was going to go after her. Zero's eyes held a mixture of emotions that he couldn't quite place, as he cradled the tattoo on his neck. Seeing that the young man wasn't making a move, Kaien walked outside to console his only daughter before things got worse.

He found her easily, being only a short distance from the front door. Like any good parent, it hurt him to see her like this. Carefully, he walked up to her with trepidation, trying to remember the best way to console crying young ladies without babying them. Frankly, it was much easier when she was a little girl. Before he could reach out to her, Yuuki looked up and acknowledged him with a glance. She tried hiding her face in her deceivingly delicate hands, but he promptly pulled them away to reveal her shining orbs. Not having the will to put up a happy front any longer, she launched towards her father and gave him an embrace that rivaled his own. Startled at first, he didn't say a word as he enjoyed the rare moment when his daughter would be truthful with her emotions towards him.

She was very quiet, to the point that he wondered if she had fallen asleep, save for the momentary gasps of air due to crying. A few moments later, after she calmed down, and he asked her what had been plaguing him this whole time. "Yuuki, tell me, what happened?"

Yuuki was still hiccuping a little bit as she tried to rid herself of her despair. She told her story to the patient man, as he looked without seeing into the stained glass windows of the house. "Wh-what did I do wrong, father? I just want to help him, but he pushes me away. I thought we were friends," she said sadly.

"I am your friend, Yuuki," she heard Zero's sad voice say from the front door. Kaien, although loving Zero as if he were his own son, clearly gave him a glare that warned of the consequences if he didn't fix this. Zero, getting the message, walked towards the now frail-looking girl as Kaien stepped away.

"Yuuki, I need you to stop by my office tomorrow afternoon. Have sweet dreams, _both_ of you," the doting man said as he walked into the house.

After Kaien had gone inside, Zero turned his full attention on his secret love. Yuuki was looking at the ground, afraid to meet his gaze for fear of being rejected for caring about his well-being. "Yuuki...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things. When the hunger feels like it is going to become...intense, it changes my mood. I was just throwing my own troubles onto you, and you didn't deserve that."

Yuuki remained quiet, as if he wasn't fully forgiven yet. "Please, Yuuki, look at me," he said as he gently put his fingers under her chin and moved her gaze upwards. As her swimming eyes met his own, his gaze softened. "There, that's better. You asked for the truth, right? Well, the truth is that where that woman bit me has been throbbing lately, and I don't know why. That has caused my craving for your blood to be higher, especially when I am around you. So, to protect you I pushed you away."

Yuuki moved forward and hugged him tightly, as if she were afraid he would disappear. "Never, ever, push me away because of that. I would rather you devour me completely so that you could live for a little while longer, rather than find out that you died because of protecting me," she declared in a harsh whisper.

Zero gasped, horrified at what she had said. His worst fear was killing her by feeding off of her blood, and here she was saying that she would welcome it if he needed it. "Yuuki, no! You can't..."

"I can, Zero, and I will in a heartbeat if it means saving your life," she said, lifting up her gaze to lock with his. "You need blood right now. So, drink my blood, Zero."

Without his consent, his eyes began fully glowing that all-too familiar scarlet to her. It was a radiant color that was both mesmerizing and frightening. Pulling him a little further into the woods, out of the sight of her father, Yuuki took off her jacket and unbuttoned the top two buttons of her blouse. Zero, as usual, looked pained at what was happening. He hated being a vampire, and, even worse, hated making Yuuki his victim.

Not wanting to waste time having him fight his instincts, she stood directly in front of him and pulled his head down towards her neck. "Drink, Zero, you'll feel better."

With the beast inside of him overwhelming his resolve, Zero bent down towards soft, milky skin. Learning to not be so obvious to others in where he bit her, he moved a little further down her neck to where her neck and shoulder met. Reluctantly, he licked her soft skin where he planned to puncture his pearly fangs into her. Finally realizing the depth of his hunger, he bit down a little forcefully on her upper shoulder, causing her to wince, slightly. Still hanging on to some semblance of his sanity, he tried apologizing without words by holding her close. Not wanting to alert the Moon Dorm to their activiity, Zero made every effort to not let a single drop escape his lips.

As he drank her blood, all of her thoughts and feelings flowed into him, causing Zero to mentally slap himself for what he had done. Unaware that the thoughts that she was thinking at that moment were being heard, he felt as if he were eavesdropping when he heard her voice in his head. He felt her worries over her schoolwork, and her concerns over her performance in ballet. A few thoughts, though, caught his attention more than others, such as, "I just want him to be happy," and "I wish he would just let me help him," consumed his thoughts. Soon to follow was, "What will happen if Kaname finds out? Am I betraying him?"

His eyes narrowed slightly as the monster inside of him abated into the dark recesses of his mind. Zero, willing to accept that she didn't think of him any more than a friend, assumed that she was thinking entirely of the arrogant pureblood that kept her out of his grasp. Gently pulling his fangs away from what he desired, he quickly licked her wound and moved slightly away from her, with that same disgusted look on his face. Yuuki quickly rummaged for something in her skirt pocket, and pulled out a square bandage to slap over it. Zero looked at her quizzically as she pressed down a little to get the bleeding to stop underneath it.

Noticing his silent question, she blushed slightly and explained. "I thought it would be better to be prepared for when this happened again, so that it wouldn't stain my clothes or attract the night class as much."

Shockingly, Zero chuckled a little bit with the barest hint of a smile on his lips. "You are one odd girl, Yuuki."

"Yeah, but you wouldn't have me any other way," she said as she playfully punched him in the arm. Secretly, she was surprised at his display of a happier emotion, but she didn't want to call attention to it and ruin the mood. Instead, she filed it away in her memories where she saw the moody man in front of her happy, even if just a little bit.

This mood was quickly changed by one of his own teasing verbal jabs at her. "You should probably go take a shower now. You don't want to be smelling like _that _when you go to bed tonight."

"What? I'll have you know that I happen to smell just fine, thank you very much. Sure, I am a little sweaty but I do not stink!" she said as she poked him in the chest with her finger.

"Whatever. Let's just go so that I can walk you back to the dorms when you are done," Zero offered as he walked along next to her back to their home.

The independent young lady sighed a little internally over his protection of her on the grounds. Whether they wanted to admit it or not, Zero and Kaname were on the same wavelength when it came to her safety, and on her abilities as a guardian. She was tired of being treated as the damsel in distress, yet that is the situation she always found herself in, regardless. Not wanting to start an argument over the same subject after such a long day, she decided to say nothing as they walked up the cobblestone stairs to the house.

The next morning, Yuuki felt as if she barely rested, as usual. Yori was finally able to wake her up with only twenty-minutes to spare, which was just enough time to throw on her clothes like she was a human tornado. Both of the down-to-earth girls walked at a little faster than normal pace to their classroom building in order to get there on time. As they approached the learning hall, they saw a large group of girls hovering around a cream-colored piece of paper that was tacked up on the stone wall near the classroom.

"Those must be the results of the auditions, Yuuki. Do you want to find out where we got placed?" asked Yori as she began to switch direction towards the audition paper.

"No, not right now. The paper will still be there later. Besides, I don't want to be late," Yuuki said, not wanting to push and shove her way through the mass of hormones excitedly talking about the list. The chesnut-haired and sunshine-haired girls both began walking towards their first class of the day, when they heard a high-pitched voice yell in their direction.

"Hey, there she is now! There's Yuuki!"

Yuuki froze in apprehension, cringing as she looked towards the group of girls that were staring daggers at her like she had taken away their favorite possession.

"I think that means you got the lead, Yuuki," said Yori, equally bemused and nervous at her situation.

"I think you're right. Here are my books! I'll meet you in class!" she yelled as she ran at full speed across the campus, with the mob following her in a blur of black and red. After the excitement passed her by, Yori walked over the list to see for herself.

**Audition Results**

Ballet - Advanced Class

Meeting Time: 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

**Day Class**

Yuuki Cross - Lead Female

Emilia Stone

Theresa Catalonia

Anna McDaniel

Sayori Wakaba

**Night Class**

Takuma Ichijo - Lead Male

Ruka Souen

Carissa Hightower

Hanabusa Aidou

Rima Toya

Senri Shiki

All other dancers may report to the regular course at 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Sayori smiled that she had gotten accepted into the same class as her friend, but she was even more elated to find that Yuuki had gotten what she dreamed of - a chance to prove herself. As she absorbed the contents of the paper, she heard someone walk up behind her, and knew who it was without turning around.

"Hello, Zero." As far as she knew, Yuuki hadn't told Zero just how close the night and day classes were going to be in the advanced class. She wondered how well he would take the news, considering how her dance partner was Kaname's right-hand man.

**A/N**: **And that's it for now! I apologize for not as many actual dance class scenes in this chapter, but I couldn't quite work it in without starting a long new chapter. I thought it was more beneficial to the plot development to focus on character building. I know Yuuki is a VERY emotional person, so I don't think it was too far of a stretch to see her get this upset. **

**As a treat, here is a little teaser for you for the next few chapters:**

**Does the Headmaster's reason to talk with his daughter the next day have to do with Zero's neck hurting? **

**Why are the day class girls hovering around the night class boys more than normal? **

**Just what part did Yuuki get in the mysterious advanced ballet class? It's a **_**romantic**_** ballet?**

**Check in on my profile for periodic update schedules, if you are so inclined. **

**I'll show you a lovely dance next night... **

**(Did that sound cool, or what? I think I'll use it from now on...)**


	4. Chapter 4:  Two Figures on a Music Box

**Author's Note: **

Greetings! I present to you the next installment in Moon Dancer (and it's a long one).

In this chapter, I will begin introducing everyone's favorite giggling purple-haired vampire, Maria. I've put in some funny moments, mixed in with everyday situation drama.

I will let it be known that I am making a minor change in the VK timeline. I think it is safe to say that Maria has probably been spying on Zero since _before_ he went to hunt his first vampire in town. So, his first hunt will happen in the next chapter or so, _after_ Maria's arrival. I may discuss it in detail, I may not. See my notes at the end of the story for more information.

Also, I have a BIG announcement...I've created a one-shot prequel of sorts. Whoo hoo! _Technically_, it can be considered as a separate piece, if you want it to be. I **strongly** discourage you from reading it unless you've seen all of the VKGuilty season. MAJOR SPOILERS. If that doesn't pertain to you, then be watching for it to be uploaded within the next week or so. :D

**Standard Disclaimer: **

I do not own Vampire Knight, nor do I profit in any monetary way from this story. It is written for my and other's enjoyment, and I am taking creative liberties with the characters. The only character that is mine is Ms. Himura. Vampire Knight and Vampire Knight Guilty are property of Viz Media and Matsuri Hino. Support them buy purchasing manga and dvds legally from your favorite retailer! The rating is posted above, and I cannot be held responsible if a reader who is too young reads this story without permission.

xxxxxxx

Chapter 4: Two Figures on a Music Box

"Hey," Zero replied to the tranquil girl with his usual lack of enthusiasm. "What did Yuuki do this time?" A thin cloud of dust was wafting in the air from the earlier proceedings, moved along by the light, cool breeze that was in the air.

"Nothing, technically. She just got the female lead in the advanced class," Yori said proudly.

"Hmm, she did, huh?" he said with a slight approval on his normally stern features. He gazed in the direction that the talented girl had ran, as if being able to see her in his mind's eye.

"Yeah, go see for yourself. The names are on that list. I'll see you in class," she said with a nod as she resumed her journey to first period. Sayori preferred not to be late, but she would for Yuuki's sake, if need be.

Zero pondered the yellowed piece of expensive-looking paper tacked to the stone wall with trepidation. Satisfying his own curiosity, he read the other names on the list written in elegant script, and frowned when he realized that most of the qualifiers were living in the Moon Dorm. He had sensed that Yuuki was hiding something when he drank her blood the previous evening, and this must have been it. She knew that he would disapprove of her being in such prolonged, close contact with those beautiful monsters, so she purposefully hid it from him. He didn't trust any of them, but a few names furrowed his eyebrows more than others: Hanabusa Aidou and Takuma Ichijo.

Hanabusa, obviously, was on his bad side more than others due to the incident that occurred between him and Yuuki earlier that year. Takuma, however, was near the top of the list (just below Kaname) because he seemed too good to be true, and when something seems that way it usually is.

Takuma was extremely cheerful for a vampire, and had no trouble at all getting Yuuki to let down her defenses. Even Kaname was surprised at how well she trusted him when she arrived at his birthday party. If he wanted, he could probably sweet talk her into her own demise without her suspecting a thing. Most importantly, though, he was obviously Kaname's right-hand man, due to him being Vice Dorm President and at Kaname's side most of the time. Zero made a mental note to speak to the Headmaster later that night, and to make sure all those monsters in human form knew that there would be hell to pay if they hurt her.

Yuuki, frazzled as she was from running, eventually made it back to her first class of the day only a minute late. The stares of some of her peers were felt, both approving and disapproving, alike. She tried to keep close to Zero for the rest of the day, making full use of his scary aura that the rest of the girls dared not venture too close to.

Yet again, due to her tardiness, she had to stay after class to study a subject that didn't come easily to her. Zero, also required to stay, chose to sleep, doing so to forget the momentary pulsing from the mark that changed his life forever.

With class only two hours away, the goofy young lady and moody young man had just enough time to grab a quick bite to eat before they had to start patrols. At the moment, the beginning class was in session, with it being dismissed at 5:00 p.m. Yagari insisted on supervising the beginning class, himself, albeit from a distance. The large dance room had the floor-to-ceiling windows that the Academy was known for having in many of its rooms, and Yagari could keep check on the night class instructor from the small forest outside. Kaname had made it quite clear to the instructor that he would be greatly displeased if he found out she had bitten a student, and she earnestly acquiesced his subtle order. Luckily, due to her shared temperament with Takuma, there was little risk of that occurring, anyway.

A few of the night class students would have to be escorted to the academic building early in order to attend the 6:00 p.m. advanced class start time, with the normal switch-over following a short time later at 7:00 p.m. In order to keep the beautiful vampires from being swarmed by girls like bees to honey, Yuuki was chosen to escort the first wave of white-clad students by herself, since she was going to the same place, regardless. That left Zero to draw his invisible line in the sand to keep the girls away from the next group.

The walk to the classroom was fairly quiet, with the privileged nobles feeling a bit odd that they were escorted by a petite Yuuki to class. Kaname, of course, was happy to be near her, and spoke about nothing in particular in order to engage her in casual conversation. Takuma, ever the social butterfly, joined in when he felt he wouldn't be intruding. Hanabusa was still flabbergasted that "Lord Kaname" was even speaking to the annoying prefect. The only way he could make sense of it was his previous guess that her blood belonged to him (and tasted amazing), but it still seemed out of character for him. Ruka, naturally, was irritated to no end that her crush was speaking to the scrawny girl, and had a scary expression that rivaled Zero's on a bad day. Carissa's expression was unreadable, as if she was detached from the group.

Rima and Shiki, as disinterested as ever, lagged a little behind the others. The male model sighed pathetically, leading Rima to ask the obligatory "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I suppose. I'm just hungry, and I won't be able to eat for a while," he said.

His companion rolled her eyes and reached into her backpack to pull out the usual snack - choco biscuits. "Here, eat this. You need to remember to eat or you'll get sick. Then I have to go to the photo shoots by myself."

Shiki gladly took the box of his favorite junk food and began to open them. Yuuki, hearing the odd sound of a box rattling behind her, looked in surprise when she saw what they were eating.

"You like...choco biscuits?" she asked, amazed that they enjoyed eating "ordinary people food."

Shiki, with a biscuit sticking out of his mouth, looked at her like she was crazy. "Yes, is there something wrong with that?" he asked in a slightly muffled tone. Kaname turned around with a warning glance to be more polite that sent a slight shiver down his spine. Regardless of their familial relationship, Kaname was still an intimidating pureblood, and Shiki got no special treatment. The reddish-haired vampire took the snack out of his mouth to properly address her. "Sorry if that sounded rude."

Yuuki, oblivious to the silent exchange, didn't pay his tone any mind, having gotten used to hearing it from Zero. "Oh, no, that's alright. It was an odd question, I suppose. It's just strange seeing a...someone like yourself eating something so normal."

Takuma chimed in, "We eat food and snacks just as you do, Yuuki. I thought you realized that after attending my birthday party."

"Oh, yes, I know. It's just I thought you all wouldn't _want_ to eat something like that. It almost makes you seem...here we are! I'll stand watch outside to make sure no day class girls are hiding around," she said as she began searching the area. She had intended to say it almost made them seem human, but thought better of accidentally insulting the group that she would be dancing with. She hoped that none of them figured out what she was about to say.

The vampires all entered the dance studio, with Kaname taking a seat in a comfortable-looking chair in the corner and the others proceeding to the changing rooms. Shortly after they arrived, Ms. Himura entered. "Ah, Lord Kaname. How wonderful for you to join us. Is there anything that I can get for you?"

"No, thank you. I'm just here to observe, so pretend that I am not here," he said.

"Yes, of course, Lord Kaname. Please stop the class if you need anything," the lithe instructor replied as she did a few warm-up exercises. Soon after, Yuuki walked in behind the select day class girls that passed the audition. As expected, all of the girls, save Yori, were nearly drooling at the attractive dance partners that they had. After everyone had changed into their dance attire, the students all stood with their respective groups around the room.

"Hey, Yuuki, why is the Moon Dorm President observing the class?" asked Yori, as the other girls quickly switched their attention to their conversation.

"Uh, he is wanting to see how well the class integration goes in case the night class wants to add more courses," she came up with on the spot. Everyone seemed to accept this answer and they quickly turned their attention to the instructor.

Ms. Himura was wearing a purple leotard with light pink slippers, and she wore a tutu that was a sheer shade of the same rosy color. "Alright class, listen up. All of you have been selected because you have proven your abilities. This class will not be easy, and will require your full dedication in order to excel. Ichijo, Cross, you both have been chosen as the respective leads for this ballet. Your performance will be judged more strictly than the others. Please, do not make me regret my decision." The two talented students nodded their head in agreement, wondering just what they had gotten themselves into. "The ballet I have chosen is a little known piece called _Moon Dancer, _or _Moonlight Dancer,_ as it is sometimes called. Ichijo, you will be playing the main love interest, and Cross will be the enchanted dancer. The other male love interest will be decided in the next few sessions, as that character doesn't appear until the second act and is minor in comparison. The rest of you will be playing multiple parts which are labeled on the list on the wall. Take a few minutes to look over it, and then we will promptly begin."

Yuuki's stomach filled with butterflies momentarily when the instructor mentioned "love interest." She felt awkward enough performing in front of Kaname, let alone appearing to be in love with Takuma. She quickly got over her brief insecurity and became professional about it. The ballet was just business, and she knew she shouldn't be acting childish over the matter. The class passed by without incident, with all parties too focused on following Ms. Himura's instructions. That, however, quickly changed for the two leads when they heard the instructor's last idea right before the end of class.

"Ha, ha. I'm sorry. I thought you just said that Yuuki and I have to kiss for this scene," said a nervous Takuma who was on the break of panic on the inside. Kaname, who was watching impassively from the corner, had made it quite clear that he held Yuuki in a special place in his heart when he would drive him to visit her for all of those years. He wasn't sure how he, or Zero for that matter, would react to this closeness.

"I don't think she was kidding," said an equally nervous Yuuki.

"You are right, I'm not. You don't have to actually kiss...unless you want to, of course," said the slender instructor, teasingly. Even after the last hour and a half of practice, not a hair on her head was out of place.

Both Takuma and Yuuki turned bright red, while Aidou made a gagging face to Shiki. Shiki smirked a little, willing to enjoy seeing how his roommate would react to the situation. All of the other day class girls had left, leaving only the vampires to observe what was happening as they gathered their things.

"Let's practice quickly before you leave for the night, alright? I want to make sure this will work. Just follow my instructions and the audience won't be the wiser," Ms. Himura said as she placed the two teens in an almost embrace. Yuuki stood in front of the tall vampire, with her head only coming up to his shoulders. The studious Takuma stood directly behind her, with her back nearly resting against his chest. Yuuki pointed one of her feet out to the side as she gracefully raised her arms to Takuma's head level. Ms. Himura then placed Yuuki's hands delicately in both of his as he looked down upon her.

"Oh, that looks beautiful! Now, hold her as if she were the most precious and breakable thing in the world to you. Yes, that's perfect," the ballet instructor said as she admired her own choreography with the two students. "Now, for the kiss. Cross, I want you to turn your head to the side and look up at Ichijo. Ichijo, I want you to look down at Cross and bend down slightly until your lips are almost touching."

Yuuki and Takuma complied, albeit a little apprehensively. Their faces were closer than they had ever been before, yet not close enough to be recognized as a kiss by the audience. Takuma was painfully aware of Kaname's intense gaze in the corner, ready to spring into action if need be, like a cat preparing to jump. While he hadn't said it out loud to him, Takuma had an idea that Kaname was romantically interested in her, for whatever reason, but it was not his business to pry.

Yuuki was too focused on trying to breath properly to worry about Kaname and the others watching, although she wished that she could turn her head to see if he was. Even though he spoke to her frequently, she wondered if he still saw her as more of a cute little girl rather than a true friend. She liked to think that he thought as highly of her and she did of him, but that would only be fooling herself.

Ms. Himura, not satisfied with their obvious distance, gently pushed down on Takuma until their lips were a little more than a hair's length apart. They both noticed that they were close enough to feel the heat coming off of each other's bodies, and they could each feel a slight vapor as they breathed out. Just a little bit more, and Yuuki would have her first kiss.

Being this close, Yuuki was able to see Takuma in a whole new way. His eyes reflected as brilliantly as an emerald, with a depth of compassion and kindness that was odd for a normally brooding vampire. His skin was naturally perfect, and his golden hair complemented his features beautifully. Yuuki found herself blushing slightly, and her eyes were a little wide, even though she had no romantic interest in him. She stood completely still, afraid that if she moved she would accidentally kiss the man holding her. If that happened, she wasn't sure if she would be able to look Kaname, or Zero for that matter, in the eye again. She wondered what was going through Takuma's mind. If he was panicky, he wasn't showing it now; his face had its normal calm appearance, but it also felt as if he were peering into her very soul. She wondered if that was an ability of vampires that she didn't know about.

"There! That is wonderful. Remember this pose, as it is the most important to communicate your character's feelings. Let me go to my office next door and get some additional materials for you to read about your characters. Don't move, though," she said as she quickly walked out of the room.

The two dancers held perfectly still, like two figures on a music box. Aidou broke Yuuki out of her thoughts by accidentally dropping a bag onto the floor with a loud thud when Shiki tripped him for a snide comment. Unfortunately, this noise startled her enough to jump a little, and Yuuki realized that what she had just been thinking about had happened; she accidentally kissed him.

Takuma froze with eyes as big as saucers when he felt her soft lips touch his own. Yuuki, unconsciously, gripped his hands a little tighter in her fright, completely unsure of whether to stay put like the instructor said or to run away in embarrassment. She had a mortified look on her face with a scarlet blush that reached her ears, and she just stared at him as he stared back.

"What the hell?" Aidou exclaimed in a harsh whisper as he saw what happened. Shiki held his mouth open in disbelief as Ruka and the other female vampires silently found the situation rather funny. Kaname was just as shocked as everyone else, but he carried it with his usual grace. Just as suddenly as she had left, Ms. Himura came around the corner with the small stack of materials, oblivious to what had happened.

"Yes, now that I look at you again this pose will work just fine. Both of you have the most adorable blush on your face, too! That will look great if you do that during the performance. Here are the papers I promised. Everyone, that will be all for tonight. I'll see you all in two nights. I expect you to practice what we've learned today, and you know that I will be able to tell who did and did not practice. That goes for you, too, Aidou," said Ms. Himura with her back to the blushing students behind her. Without giving Yuuki and Takuma a second glance, she walked out of the room towards her office down the hall.

"Yes, ma'am!" Aidou said as he stood at attention when she passed by.

As the group watched her retreating shadow disappear from view, Yuuki and Takuma hadn't moved yet, and Yuuki was becoming very self conscious as she held the paper in a death grip.

"Well, are you going to just stand there and stare stupidly at the paper, or can we get going, Takuma? We have another class soon," said Ruka as she gave Yuuki her usual glare.

"Oh, um, yes. Of course. Please, continue on without me. I shall follow you shortly," said Takuma, as he gradually walked away from her delicate-looking form.

"We will see you there. Take care, Yuuki," Kaname said with a twinge of sadness to his tone that escaped the notice of all except the two involved. The group, having already changed, walked out into the hallway towards their first actual course for the day.

The green-eyed vampire calmly walked over to his locker and gathered his clothes. Yuuki, not knowing what else to say, followed through with the same motions as he was. Silence was weighing heavily in the air like a fog, and it felt to Yuuki like a weight had been placed on her shoulders. True, it had been an accident, but she was sure that she had crossed a line that she wasn't sure she could recover from. Takuma was known as 'the nice vampire' in her book, and she was afraid that she had jeopardized that, not to mention not knowing how other important people felt about their little incident. Zero was sure to find out, eventually, along with the Headmaster, who would no doubt tease her. Yuuki knew she was probably over-thinking this, as she had a bad habit of thinking the worst. Just as she exited the changing room, the sight of Takuma standing in front of her with his white uniform on stopped her.

"Yuuki, you needn't look at me in that way. I know it was an accident," he said with smile that almost reached his eyes. She could tell it was true that he wasn't angry (if he was even capable of that emotion), but something else was bothering him, and she needed to find out what.

"Thank you, Takuma. I am truly sorry if I offended you," she said sheepishly as she bowed out of habit.

Takuma had that same pleasant expression he always had. "No offense taken, Yuuki. Well, I bid you good night, then."

Yuuki knew something was still wrong; she could almost feel it in the air. Before she could stop herself, she asked him to wait. Surprised, Takuma obligingly turned around and faced her once again, giving her his full attention as a gentleman should.

Yuuki continued on with a little trepidation. "Umm, Takuma, is something wrong?"

Takuma smiled a tender, knowing smile as he thought of how observant the petite guardian of the school was to other people's feelings. "I'm see I've been found out, ha ha. I'm sorry to have worried you. It's nothing you need to worry about," he said as he tried to make the conversation go away with a gentleman's politeness.

Yuuki refused to comply. "Don't say that. Yes it is, and I am afraid that I am the cause of it."

Kaname's closest friend sighed heavily and turned his now melancholy gaze on Yuuki. Most people would have let the conversation dissipate at his implied meaning, but Yuuki wasn't most people. "Did I...steal your first kiss, Yuuki?"

The brown-haired teen fidgeted a little and looked away embarrassed. "Yes, it was, but it was my own fault since I was startled. Was that...your first kiss?"

"Yes, I'm afraid to say, but I am not upset by it. If anything, I am honored to have shared it with as warm-hearted a lady as yourself."

Yuuki blushed slightly, dusting her porcelain skin with a dusky, pink glow. "Um, thank you. Do you think...the others were upset? I don't know if there is some taboo against humans and vampires kissing."

"Well, a few of my classmates may become upset, just because of my status compared to yours. There isn't a taboo, per se, but it isn't looked highly upon. Human and vampire relationships are...problematic in many ways, so relations of that matter are _strongly_ discouraged among nobles, but they do happen, from time to time. We all have been trying to keep our distance from the day-class students, so as to lessen our need for blood. They will only be upset because they think I have somehow gotten too close to you. The need for blood can do nasty things to a vampire's mind, even aristocrats," he replied as if he were teaching a class on vampire culture.

Now it was Yuuki's turn to ask one of the things that had been bothering her the most, and his comment hadn't helped to quell her fears. "Do you think that Kaname is upset?"

Takuma looked to the floor as if deep in thought. He didn't answer right away, and the seconds that ticked by seemed like hours to Yuuki. She knew that Zero would be less than happy when word got to him, but for Kaname to be upset with her was something that had never happened before. She wasn't sure how she would react.

"I don't know," he finally answered. "That is mostly what was plaguing me a moment ago. Kaname thinks very highly of you, and, in turn, I watch out for you when he is unable to do so. I doubt that he would have wanted such a special thing as a first kiss to happen in such a manner, but it is trivial compared to other things. If there is nothing else, I must be going. The instructors for our group aren't as lenient with tardiness. Please, excuse me." With the silent footsteps that vampires seemed to all posses, Takuma left the dance room without a sound.

Yuuki felt a little foolish for making such a big deal out of an accidental kiss, but something about it wouldn't quit bothering her. Zero's potential reaction was making her very nervous, as well. He could have a handful of different responses to the situation, including asking the Headmaster to keep the day and night class apart for the remainder of the ballet. Yuuki was determined not to let that happen. If he did react that way, she would go down swinging. It was an accident. It was just an accidental kiss between a human girl and one of the most noble vampires in the school. No harm done...right?

With her patrolling duties beginning immediately at the conclusion of the class, she didn't have time to dwell on what others may or may not be thinking. It was a quiet night, which led to her being around Zero for most of it, standing on the roof of the academic building. They talked briefly about some of the same subjects they always spoke of in polite conversation, and she somehow managed to keep him from asking too much about the class.

The two guardians stood outside of Kaname's class, as they often did, and Yuuki found herself glancing at him now and again to see if he was visibly upset. She wasn't sure why he would chose now of all times to outwardly show an emotion in front of the nobles, but she couldn't help but peek. She was apparently not being sneaky enough about it, as Hanabusa winked at her and blew a kiss in her direction. This infuriated and embarrassed her at the same time, as Zero finally mentioned that he saw her staring, as well.

"Well, what did you expect after staring into their classroom for so long? You weren't as subtle as you think," he said, irritated that she was giving any of her attention to the creatures of the night.

"Shut up! I wasn't staring at them," she said, putting up her defenses.

"If you weren't staring, then what is the color of the book that Kuran is reading?" he asked with a smirk.

Yuuki replied without thinking, "Red. Oh, you tricked me!"

Zero halfway smiled with a twinkle in his eyes as he began walking towards the ladder that they used to get up there. "Come on, the Headmaster wants to speak with you soon. Those beasts are leaving their classes for the day, anyway."

The strong-willed girl followed obediently behind him as they finished their patrols for the night. Zero, after being told by her that she could manage the walk alone, left to go take a well deserved rest before classes began early that morning. The night class left for their dormitory without any escorts needed, and she slowly made her way back to her real home. The door opened with a slight creak, announcing her presence to the sole occupant.

"Ah, Yuuki, welcome home!" he said as he attempted to hug her before she side-stepped out of the way.

"Hello, Headmaster. I'm here, as requested," she said happily.

"It's Father! Since when do I need to make an appointment to see my own daughter?" he half-way wailed to no one in particular.

"Sorry, Father. What is it you need to see me about?" she asked. She knew that he loved her dearly, and she loved him, as well. Yet, something always made her keep her distance from him. She assumed it was because she knew that he wasn't _really_ her father, and her subconscious felt as if she were betraying her _real_ parent's memory by being coddled by someone else, even though there was a chance they had abandoned her. Kaien was aware of this, even though she hadn't voiced it, and was eternally patient with her. She was just so cute that he couldn't help himself from giving her the hugs she deserved, and that she seemed to _need_ from time to time.

Kaien picked himself off of the floor and dusted off his frumpy clothes with a sigh. "Follow me," he said as they walked into his office. Going into his business mode, he pulled out a yellow file from his desk drawer. Opening it for her to see, he began explaining his reasoning for calling her there that night. "This is Maria Kurenai. She will be transferring into the Night Class tomorrow evening. I would like you to escort her around the campus to help her get familiar with the layout. She is a young vampire, and this will be the first time that she has attended school, due to her weak constitution. I wanted to let you know now since you may have to stay up later than you usually do."

"She has a weak constitution? I thought vampires didn't get sick."

He smiled at her common assumption. "You are partially correct. Vampires don't get sick in the sense that humans do, like catching a cold or any terminal illnesses, but they can have other ailments. They are living beings just as we are, with bodies that need to be cared for."

"Hmm, I guess that makes sense," she replied, putting the papers back into the folder.

"Did your class go well?" he asked, trying to do the impossible by asking his teenage daughter about her day. She had the commonly bad habit of teenagers by being incredibly vague in their answers.

"Uh, f-fine. Just great. I'm actually worn out from it, so I think I'll go back to the room. Good night," she said, trying to hurry out the door before he asked her more questions. She didn't get very far.

"Yuuki..."he said in a very fatherly tone.

She quickly spun back around and told him the rest of the truth, as her previous answer had been a half one. "It really was great. I learned a lot from Ms. Himura, but...something happened, and I am worried that Kaname is upset by it, even though it is just a little thing."

Now she really had his attention. "What happened? I wasn't informed of any incidents. Even if he takes care of them, himself, Kaname always reports to me."

"Well, it's silly, actually. Nothing that would deserve your attention. Forget I said anything."

"Yuuki, all activities at Cross Academy are worth my attention, especially when it concerns you."

She looked surprised at him for a moment, before taking a seat in one of the plush, green chairs as she told her tale of romantic mishaps. Her eyes looked everywhere but at his own, reluctant to be speaking about the topic to begin with. At the end of her story, Kaien was quiet for a moment, deep in thought.

Suddenly, he had his goofy I-love-my-daughter-and-she-is-growing-up face. "My Yuuki is becoming a lady! Her first kiss, and with an attractive, noble vampire who's family donates to the Academy! Where is my camera?"

Recovering from nearly falling to the floor, Yuuki yelled back at her father to get him to focus. "No, father, this is _not _good! Why are you so happy about this?"

He immediately calmed down to the point that it almost seemed like he was two people. "I'm sorry, Yuuki. I got carried away. As for your concern, I don't think Kaname dislikes you now because of it. Accidents happen. Besides, it isn't like you two are dating. Why would you be worried about what Kaname thinks?" Secretly, he knew that she loved Kaname with all her heart, but he wanted to try and get her to say it, just the same.

"I...I don't know. I just thought he might since..."

"Since you think you are close friends?" he replied, finishing her thought.

"Yeah, I guess so, but I don't even know if I am that. I was also worried about Zero." She was quiet for a moment, mimicking her father's earlier behavior of getting lost in her thoughts. "If it's alright, I'd like to be excused so that I can go to bed. Yori is probably worried."

"Yes, of course. Let me walk you to the door," he said. Yuuki, exhaustion catching up with her, walked sleepily back to the room she shared with her best friend.

Kaien walked quietly back into his house, aware of another presence that had been in the home since Yuuki's arrival. "There is no need to hide any longer; she's gone. Did you hear everything?"

xxxxxxx

**A/N: **

And...end scene! Please don't throw anything at me! I know, it's another one of my cliffhangers, but if I didn't put them in, then you wouldn't be as excited for the next chapter, right? :D

Whew, that was the hardest chapter for me to write so far. I've actually had the Takuma/Yuuki kiss written since before I published the first chapter, but it was the stuff in between that proved to be the challenge. Again, I will try to update every week or two. I've been juggling work and final projects that are coming up, so that is getting in the way a little bit.

Just an FYI, if there are things/episodes left out of this story, it is safe for you to assume that they actually happened behind the scenes in this universe (unless I say otherwise). I'll let you know if I bend the timeline slightly, as I did in the top note before the story. If I followed the anime exactly, it would bring down the story. I think it would make it boring for everyone, since you are reading fanfiction to read something that _didn't_ happen in the official story to begin with.

Check in next time to read the aftermath of the "incident."

As always, "I'll show you a lovely dance next night." ;)


	5. Chapter 5:  Discovered Secrets

**Author's Note: **

I apologize for the slight delay. It was either write this or turn in my projects, and the projects won.

Here is what I've got written so far. As you can see, it isn't as long as the other ones. I want to think the next chapter through a bit more so that I don't end up accidentally writing a lot of filler and have the story stall.

For those of you interested, the prequel (sort of) has been uploaded, and it is as fluffy as a fluffy kitten can be! ^_^ Check out the link in my profile. It is full of spoilers, so don't read if you haven't finished the second season or gotten far enough in the manga.

Just a general thank you to all who regularly read the story / have marked me as a favorite / have marked the story as a favorite. **You inspire me to continue onward with this plot!**

**Standard Disclaimer: **

I do not own Vampire Knight, nor do I profit in any monetary way from this story. It is written for my and other's enjoyment, and I am taking creative liberties with the characters. The only character that is mine is Ms. Himura. Vampire Knight and Vampire Knight Guilty are property of Viz Media and Matsuri Hino. Support them buy purchasing manga and dvds legally from your favorite retailer! The rating is posted above, and I cannot be held responsible if a reader who is too young reads this story without permission.

**xxxxxxxx **

_Kaien walked quietly back into his house, aware of another presence that had been in the home since Yuuki's arrival. "There is no need to hide any longer; she's gone. Did you hear everything?"_

Chapter 5: Discovered Secrets

He walked in silently, with his footsteps landing as softly as snow on a moonlit night. His face was stern and slightly strained, though only Kaien could detect the latter due to knowing him for so long. His hands were balled into fists at his side, and his usual frown crossed his pale, now slightly vampiric, features.

"Yes, I heard it," he replied. "How long have you known I was here?"

"I have my ways, Zero," he said with a smile, being intentionally vague. "Is there a particular reason why you were being so sneaky?"

Zero frowned even more. "I have my reasons," he said, just as vaguely.

The Headmaster laughed internally at how obvious he was being with his feelings towards the girl, and decided to tease him a bit so that he would relax. "You're being so mysterious, Zero. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were stalking my beautiful flower!"

This immediately elicited a negative reaction from the brooding teen, as he glared at him with an intensity that seemed to deepen the colors of his eyes to a metallic purple. Kaien threw up his hands with an apologetic, nervous smile on his face.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Forget I said it, but...you do look rather displeased. Well, more than normal. Is something the matter?"

"What do you mean is something the matter? She just said that she kissed one of those beasts, and you weren't bothered by it!"

Kaien let his comments roll off his back like usual, having gotten used to Zero's sometimes explosive temper. "You're right, it doesn't bother me. Besides, it was an accident, and Ichijo is one of the kinder students."

"That is _exactly_ why it should bother you."

"Are you saying that you believe Ichijo would harm her intentionally?" Kaien knew that for Takuma to do such a thing would be akin to him harming Kaname, himself.

"I'm saying that he is a blood-sucking beast that can't be trusted. None of them can be trusted, even the instructor," Zero said, his hate for vampires absolute.

"What do you propose I do then? I can't take her or the other human girls out of the class for no apparent reason, especially something as small as this."

"I...I know. I don't know what to do. It makes me sick knowing that she is around them, like a lamb in a lion's den."

The Headmaster's golden eyes softened for a moment, understanding what he was feeling. "Look, Zero, I know that you just want to protect her, but she can take care of herself. I'm sure she didn't tell you about this so that you wouldn't worry, but she still feels guilty about not telling you." The conflicted Guardian remained silent as Kaien continued. "If it makes you feel better, Yagari doesn't trust them, either. He's been watching the class from the grounds since the first meeting. I'm a little surprised he didn't share this little tidbit of information with me about Yuuki, even if just to tease me."

"Hmm. That sounds like something he'd do, alright."

"I told him that it would all be fine, and that Kaname would be keeping a close eye on class progress, but Yagari wouldn't stand for it."

"Kuran is a manipulative pureblood," the silver-haired vampire replied matter-of-factly.

Kaien looked slightly stunned with eyes widened in awe. "Those were his exact words, actually. You really are like a younger version of him!"

Zero wanted to get back to the task at hand, in no mood to speak about his past as Yagari's pupil. Seeing as he was getting nowhere, at the moment, with this topic, he decided to start another one. "Why do you have Yuuki escorting a new vampire alone?"

"Well, I would have you do it, but you're so crabby that she would probably transfer out. I see that twinkle in your eyes, so don't get any ideas. Besides, you can't do it anyway since you got a letter from the Hunters Association. Here, look it over."

"You read...my mail?" Zero replied, dumbfounded and slightly offended that his privacy had been breeched.

"I was only trying to look out for your best interests. What kind of father would I be if I didn't."

"I don't need you to look out for me," Zero said tiredly as he read the letter with anxious eyes.

Kaien observed him as he read, watching his expression lighten slightly at the end. Personally, he was wary of what the letter asked Zero to do, as dealing with the Association was like a double-edged sword, sometimes. "You have no choice in the matter, Zero, but it seems as if that won't be an issue, based on your expression. Your target needs to be eliminated by the end of tomorrow night, or there may be...repercussions."

"That won't be a problem. I'm going to go back to the dorm," Zero said without leaving time for any deliberation as he left the house. Hunting a vampire was a welcome order to Zero, as he felt that he was fulfilling his duties and making his deceased parents proud. In an odd way, it made him feel complete by giving him purpose, and every vampire he killed brought him one step closer to finding the only one that mattered.

**xxxxx**

Yuuki, as wasn't uncommon for her, slept in a little late for classes the next day. Yori had to leave ahead of her, not wanting to be late, herself. As she dressed for the day, Yuuki was trying to keep her spirits up. She felt wretched for keeping a secret from Zero, and her insides were filled with butterflies at trying to guess Kaname's thoughts.

Putting on her familiar ebony uniform, and trying to tame her tresses so it wasn't obvious what side she slept on, the brown-haired girl walked slowly to the main building. She had missed her first class, already, and her next one wouldn't start for another twenty minutes, so she had plenty of time to dread her lecture from the teacher. Fully expecting to have a quiet walk, Yuuki quickly realized that she wouldn't be so lucky. Some of the students from the accelerated classes were around the grounds on a break, all of them having a slightly earlier (and oddly timed) schedule than the other students.

Yuuki couldn't shake the feeling that she was being stared at by some of them. A few faces, both boy and girl alike, turned to their companions and spoke lowly, still keeping her in their vision. Hushed whispers seemed to follow her, like an annoying ghost that hovered over her shoulder.

She hated it.

Due to her being a Guardian, she saw whispers intensify as she passed every once in a while, but today it was particularly bad. She realized that there was only one thing they could be talking about – the dreaded kiss she shared with one the school's most attractive students. She thought it was stupid that something like this was causing such a stir at the Academy, but when there are students forced to live around one another for most of the year on a mostly closed campus, the gossipers feed on this like ravenous animals. As simple and terrible as it sounded, Yuuki's situation a form of entertainment to many of them, but for others they were downright jealous. Jealousy for a human is as bloodlust for a vampire, it seemed.

Ignoring the feeling of eyes on her form as she walked to her destination, Yuuki was relived to walk into an empty hallway. She knew these stares would follow her the rest of the day, so this precious time to herself was welcome. The sunlight streamed through the window she stood near, illuminating the entire hall in a warm glow, and all too soon, that warmth was shattered.

A distant chime filled the air, signaling to all the constant passage of time. Voices escalated in volume as students gathered their things and talked about nothing in particular. A few classroom doors swung open, for those who went to another room. Her classroom, however, remained shut, as it usually did around this time of day. She could distinguish a few of her classmates' voices through the elegantly carved wooden door, and the voice of the instructor speaking to one of them. She would have to open that door, soon, if she were to arrive on time for the next class. Frankly, she didn't want to, and would be content to stand where she was for most of the day until her two friends emerged. As the hallway filled up with her peers, she quickly felt green-eyed stares from several of them, and she decided she would be better off in the classroom.

Taking a deep breath, and preparing to explain her whereabouts for the last class period, she pulled on the brass door handle and entered the room. Much to her displeasure, some of the chatter lulled as soon as her presence was detected. She scurried to her seat, next to Yori and in front of Zero, avoiding everyone's eyes the entire time. The instructor acknowledged her presence with the usual order to stay after class, him not even bothering to illicit an explanation from her as he was busy. Yuuki arranged the books and supplies that she would need on her table, unsure of what to say so as not to attract even more attention on herself.

Yori, having been nearly interrogated by a girl as to how her roommate managed to snag a kiss from an elusive night class student, figured out that Yuuki must have had it much worse walking to class that day. She had been shocked that it had happened, presumably just after she left, but she wasn't upset by it like the others. More than anything, she was a little concerned for her friend's sanity and well-being. It wasn't uncommon for Yuuki to be the target of the love-stuck girls, and sometimes boys, of her fellow dorm, yet it seemed like they wouldn't let this one go for a while.

It was one thing for the Moon Dorm students to touch her shoulder, offer her a hand, or ambush-hug her from behind, but it was crossing a line to kiss one of them on their soft, tempting lips that so many of them dreamed about.

"Yuuki," she whispered into her ear, "what is going on? Everyone is saying you kissed Takuma." Rumors are terrible things that can stretch the truth to its breaking point, and she wanted to hear it from the source.

Yuuki's fist clenched in apprehension, painfully aware of the lavender stare she was feeling on the back of her head in the last row. Zero had been silent the entire time, not even chiding her for sleeping in. He either knew already and didn't want to waste energy asking about it, or he was in a particularly foul mood. Maybe both.

"I did but it wasn't on purpose," she whispered as low as she dared into her friend's ear. If her classmates were able to hear her words, they didn't give any indication of it. Luckily, they all usually sat in a more isolated area from them.

"What happened?" Yori asked, trying to understand how that situation would even occur.

The prefect, now feeling more stares on her, shook her head from side-to-side and pulled out a piece of paper from her supplies. Grabbing one of her pencils, she scribbled furiously on the white sheet, gripping the writing instrument with a strength that threatened to snap it in two. After writing out what happened, she passed the paper to Yori, and rested her head on her desk with an air of defeat.

Taking what seemed like an agonizingly long time to read her "official" statement, Yori reached out and rested her hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture. Yuuki lazily turned her head and looked at her with exhausted eyes, smiling slightly at her friend's loyalty and understanding of how the situation came to be (not that she was particularly worried about it).

Yori frowned slightly out of her sight as Yuuki turned her head back to its previous position to close her eyes and tune out the world. Yori glanced over her shoulder at Zero, who was staring out the window in an obvious attempt to not stare a hole through Yuuki. He looked upset, that was certain, but how much of it was the kiss versus how Yuuki was being bullied she couldn't tell. The quiet girl looked at him for a time, hoping to get some form of direct eye contact, but he wouldn't budge. Sighing through her nose, she folded the paper up and placed it securely in her jacket pocket so that others wouldn't see as the class began.

**xxxxxxxx**

**Author's Note: **

I will end this here for now. Now that summer is coming up very, very soon, I'll have a bit of a break until my summer courses start. Hopefully that means more time for writing!

Reviews are loved and appreciated!


	6. Chapter 6:  Dreamy Confessions

**Author's Note: **

Thank you for your patience. Life has been busy for me the last several weeks. That, and writers block hit me something fierce. It's a bad combination. I hope this chapter makes up for it.

**Standard Disclaimer: **

I do not own Vampire Knight, nor do I profit in any monetary way from this story. It is written for my and other's enjoyment, and I am taking creative liberties with the characters. The only character that is mine is Ms. Himura. Vampire Knight and Vampire Knight Guilty are property of Viz Media and Matsuri Hino. Support them buy purchasing manga and dvds legally from your favorite retailer! The rating is posted above, and I cannot be held responsible if a reader who is too young reads this story without permission.

**CHAPTER 6: Dreamy Confessions**

"Idol, Idol, over here!"

"Shiki, you are so handsome!"

"Takuma, I still love you!"

"Ahhhh! They are all so pretty!"

The fangirls were out in full force today, desperately trying to catch the attention of the students in white. Some were crying, while others were just louder. The story of Yuuki and Takuma had made its way around the Academy several times over. Like most stories, it had been warped and transformed from its original truth, to the point that many of the girls thought that the two dancers had a full-on make-out session. If Yuuki could do it, they had hope for themselves.

The girl in question was scowling slightly, having to try ten times as hard to keep them at bay. "Stop pushing and stay back! No, you can't go over there! No, don't touch them!"

"Why not, Yuuki Cross? So that you can have them to yourself?" a girl with blonde hair asked.

The tide had suddenly turned against her once more. "N-no! That has nothing to do with it!" Yuuki said, standing as if she was pushing against a great force.

Like one bad apple spoiling the bunch, one outspoken girl was influencing the rest. More jealous eyes turned in her direction, and she feared that she might lose what little control she had over the crowd. It seemed as if the Night Class was taking their sweet time walking by, even though it wasn't the case. Unluckily for Yuuki, her luck was about to get worse.

Aidou, seeing the predicament she was in, decided to tease her a bit more. The rumors had even reached the Moon Dorm, and he couldn't pass up an opportunity to get her to make that cute, angry face. Without a word, and out of her line of sight, he walked back a few steps and hugged her from behind. He put his face very close to hers, where his breath brushed the hair around her face.

"Ah! A-Aidou? Wh-what are you doing?"

"Just greeting my favorite member of the Disciplinary Committee," he replied. His eyes were twinkling, and his pearly white teeth were showing just enough so as not to reveal his secret.

"What? Yuuki that's not fair!" one girl said.

"She is close with _two_ of them?" another exclaimed in disbelief.

"No way!" yelled another.

Yuuki was quickly turning red with anger and with embarrassment. "Aidou, let go! You are making a scene."

"Why should I? I thought you liked me, Yuuki Cross. Why don't you share your love with me like you did with Takuma?" he said with a pout.

"That's enough. Get moving or your group will leave you behind. You _do not_ want me to escort you," Zero said, walking towards the group.

Many of the girls backed away instinctively by the seemingly cold-hearted boy's presence, mumbling apologies and excuses as they scurried back to their dorm. Hanabusa Aidou, however, retained his hold on his captured butterfly.

"I think that I am fine just where I am, and Yuuki, here, can escort me to my class," he said with a grin and narrowed eyes.

"You will let her go or I will ma..." he started saying, reaching for his gun. Before his hand even made it to his pocket, Kaname stepped in.

"That won't be necessary, Kiryu. Aidou, a proper gentleman acquiesces a lady's simple request, does he not?" His eyes were narrowed dangerously, and communicated rather clearly that he was in no mood for games. The nearby bird, who had been chirping happily, fell silent.

"Ah, of c-course, Lord Kaname. My apologies. My apologies to y-you as well, Yuuki Cross," he said, letting her go as if her skin was as hot as fire.

"Um, no problem," Yuuki replied, blinking at how fast he had complied with her childhood hero. He almost seemed afraid, yet she could tell that he was still fiercely protective of their leader. She tended to forget just what Kaname's position was in their society, as he carried the appearance of a regular student.

"Very well, then. Let's go, Aidou. Both of you have a pleasant night," Kaname said. Both of the white-clad vampires walked down the path calmly, catching up to their peers.

She noticed Kaname seemed to be keeping his distance from her a little. It was only detectable by her, and she wondered if she imagined it. Knowing that he didn't really mean her any ill content, she put it at the back of her mind, as Zero was now her immediate concern. With the gossip traveling like wildfire, she knew that he at least heard the rumors from the recent shouts at the switchover. She couldn't decide whether to pretend like nothing happened (like she had been) or to address the "elephant in the room" without further delay.

She decided on the latter, since it would drive her crazy if she didn't. "So, um, those rumors sure can be outrageous, huh?" she asked, holding her hand behind her head in a nervous gesture.

"_Some_ rumors are based on a common truth," he replied, beginning to walk away from her to start their shift.

Yuuki paused for a moment, staring at him confusedly, before she quickly resumed walking at his side. "What do you mean? Are you asking if it's true?"

Zero didn't miss a beat in his step as he replied to her without looking, and his tone was impassive. "No, I'm not, since you clearly didn't want to tell me. Besides, I've known since the night it happened, so I knew all along that the rumors were a stretched truth."

"You what? H-how did you know?"

He didn't reply to her question. She couldn't tell if he was thinking of how to answer her or how to avoid answering in the first place.

"Zero, I asked you a question," she said, again, stopping in their walk and putting her hands on her hips in suspicion.

He stopped in place, taking the time to look up at the rolling clouds above them. The skies were beginning to turn grey, promising rain sometime before dawn. "How I found out doesn't matter. Now, let's quit wasting time. We both have other commitments after our patrol."

That was as far as she got in the conversation with him. For the rest of the night, and through classes the next day, he was all business. Yuuki escorted the new student, Maria, around the campus, noting that she seemed like a pixie among vampires. Zero had gone out that night and hunted a vampire with the speed and efficiency that he was becoming known for. Yuuki didn't "help" this time; he had made her promise that she would let him take care of the hunting from then on.

By afternoon of the next day, Yuuki was exhausted, but she had a ballet class to go to. As usual, the Moon Dorm gates slowly opened, as if being hundreds of years old. The few Night Class students emerged, looking as thrilled as ever to be awake at such an "early" hour. This time, however, they were one person short.

"Hello, everyone. Um, where's Kaname?" Yuuki asked as they walked by her.

"You would notice that he was gone," replied Ruka under her breath.

After her snide comment, Akatsuki looked like he had been punched in the arm. He volunteered to answer her question in the others' silence. "Lord Kaname has decided to sit this one out. It's not our place to ask why."

Yuuki looked at her feet in concern as they continued in their walk. There was a mist in the air from the light drizzle that had been falling since that morning. It gave the Academy a castle-in-the-hills look.

"You've got to admit, though, that Lord Kaname has been acting a little oddly lately," said Hanabusa, not really expecting a reply.

"Hanabusa..." his flame-haired cousin warned.

"What? I'm just saying that it seems like something is bothering him. That creepy new transfer student hasn't helped his mood, either. You saw how Takuma tried to get it out of him," he said, hands behind his head in a carefree manner.

The green-eyed young man in question sighed, looking off to the side at the tiny wildflowers that grew near the treeline. "Yes, I think something has been on his mind for a while, but he doesn't want to share it with us. Once his mind is made up like that, I'm afraid that there is no use in trying to change it."

"If you are so worried about him, why don't you ask him yourself, Hanabusa," Shiki said, trying to deflect the attention from his roommate.

The blond-haired vampire looked at if he might faint. "What? Are you kidding? I can't ask him something like that; he'd do twice as many inspections of my room as he does now to get me to leave him alone!" Suddenly, he had an idea, and a smirk formed on his soft features. "I know the perfect solution: you can ask him, Shiki. You _are_ his cousin, after all."

The plum-haired boy looked irritated at him, to say the least. "What does that have to do with anything?" he said sharply. "You don't see he and I having heart-to-heart sessions, do you?"

Yuuki looked shocked at this new information. She had thought that Kaname was completely alone in the world. "What? I didn't know you were related. He never mentioned it to me."

Sharp, pale blue eyes were turned on her brown ones. "That's not surprising. He doesn't publicize it, and neither do I." He noted her growing concern. "Don't worry, it's nothing personal."

The inquisitive girl immediately sensed a problem that needed to be addressed, and being the helpful personality that she was, she couldn't let it drop. "Why not? If I had more family I wouldn't mind telling people. It would actually be a comfort to me to know that I wasn't alone."

Shiki thought about this for a moment, considering what little he knew of her situation. "That may be, but vampire relationships can get much more complex, especially concerning purebloods."

She sighed in frustration. "Everything seems to get complicated with him."

"No kidding," replied Hanabusa, surprised that she and him seemed to share a common interest in his well-being.

The rest of the walk continued in silent contemplation, each person absorbed in their own thoughts. Yuuki and Takuma didn't speak of the incident any further, eager to put it behind them, but they were both wondering if it had contributed to Kaname's distant state of mind.

Rehearsal was uneventful, and the group was able to progress even further into the routine. Yuuki's exhaustion kept creeping up on her, though, and it showed.

"Miss Cross, may I have a word with you after class?" Ms. Himura asked in a neutral tone.

"Oh, yes, of course." She was worried that it had appeared that she wasn't trying as hard today, which she wasn't, but it wasn't because she didn't want to.

All of the other students left the class, except for Yori, who motioned that she would be waiting for her outside. Yuuki shook her head in a 'no' motion with a smile, silently communicating that she would be okay. Yori reluctantly agreed, taking her things and following the other day class girls back to their dorm. Yuuki stood in the center of the room, patiently awaiting her fate.

"Miss Cross, I chose you for this role based on the skills that were showcased at the auditions. Now, as you know, the competition for this privileged position was intense, and I expect you to perform to the best of your abilities at _all times. _This is regardless of whether or not you had a bad day or a good day. Otherwise, I may replace you with one of the more talented students." Her tone wasn't unkind, only matter-of-fact. She expected a lot of her students, and the lead female slacking off (in her eyes) wasn't acceptable.

"Y-yes, ma'am. I apologize. I've been tired today," she replied, looking down at the ground with her hands clasped in front of her. Alone in the room with her, the instructor's vampiric traits made her a little more intimidating than normal, reminding Yuuki that she wasn't a "normal" teacher with "normal" expectations of her students.

"Yes, I understand that you also carry other responsibilities outside of this class. You certainly take on more than the average human girl, and I admire that. However, I don't want you to fall behind the other students or show weakness; they might petition to take your spot. A few of your moves were a little weak, as well, so keep practicing outside of class."

"Yes, Ms. Himura. I'll do that. Thank you."

"Of course. Please excuse me," the ballet instructor said as she left the room.

Yuuki's shoulder's slumped and she let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding in. She gathered her things and changed into her uniform as she walked out into the dim hallway to start her patrol.

Her patrols, much to her relief, were uneventful. Maria showed up where she wasn't supposed to once, but she went back to her room when asked. Yuuki met up with Zero, as usual, but they didn't speak much. She tried looking for Kaname through the classroom window, but she couldn't find him, even though she knew he was in there. The Night Class seemed to be a little bit on edge, she noticed, due to the new purple-haired vampire's presence. Finally done for the night, they both walked to their childhood home to clean the grime off themselves, with herself using the shower, first.

Letting the warm water cascade over her,, she tried to let it soothe her aching body. The steam filled the room in a comforting fog, creating a sauna-like atmosphere. Thinking about nothing, she tried to empty her mind of all her stressful thoughts, until they were rudely interrupted.

She heard three heavy knocks on the door, shattering her peaceful thoughts. "Hey, Yuuki. Are you almost done? You've been in there forever." Zero was just as eager to have a hot shower before she used up all the hot water, and he had been patiently waiting for at least 15 minutes.

Yuuki leaned her head against the blue tile, closing her eyes and bracing herself for the oncoming headache. "Alright! I'll be done in a minute. Now get out so that I can change." She heard some mumbling and a door opening and closing in quick succession. Reluctantly, she turned off the water, and walked over to her towel that was near the door.

Wrapping the extra large blue towel around her she walked into the main part of the bathroom, shutting the door quickly behind her so as not to fog up the window. Not really thinking about it, she walked straight over to her blow dryer and began drying her hair. The hot air helped to warm her up as the cool air hit her damp skin. She periodically combed her tresses, taking out the tangles that had formed. Suddenly, the door began opening slowly, and she came to her senses.

"Noooo! You can't come in yet!" she yelled, forcing her tiny body against the door as a barrier. She just barely saw Zero's long bangs, stopping him just in time before he saw more than he planned. "Don't you knock?"

"I did knock, _several times_, but you didn't hear me over your hair dryer. Usually you are dressed by the time you do your hair. Just put on that robe so that I can hop in the shower." Outside of her view, Zero's face had the faintest twinge of pink, but his voice was even and snippy as ever.

Yuuki looked over to the towel rack on the wall, seeing the pink, fluffy robe that he was referencing. Quickly grabbing it in a movement that was too fast to be seen she wrapped it around herself and smoothed out the creases. She opened the door with a flourish and a hand on her hip. "Now you may enter."

"Thank you, your majesty," he said sarcastically, masking his earlier blush.

"I suppose that means that you are going to change in front of me, _again_? I'll turn around and face the wall." She turned on the dryer without a word, doing just as she said she would. Since her hair was still fairly wet, she didn't need to see it for the time being. The machine turned on with a whirr, causing the excess water in her hair to fall down her neck. Feeling a familiar pang in his chest, Zero turned away from her and began taking off his clothes to hurry into the shower. By the time he was beginning to take off his belt, he couldn't fight the taunting whispers in his head anymore, and he turned painfully around.

Her soft, brown hair was nearly dry now, still hanging on to its dampness in places. His eyes glowed red and he had a remorseful look on his face as he saw the hair dance around her delicate neck. Holding on to what sanity he had left, he reached out and gently held her shoulder, causing her to jump in surprise.

"Ahhhh! Zero, you had better not be naked or I'll..."she threatened, stopping in her speech as she turned her head to notice his swimming gaze. Frozen in place, as she usually was, she merely stared back without fear, mesmerized by his eyes.

Zero, not able to wait any longer, brushed away her hair from her pink-tinted neck, inhaling her scent of jasmine and shampoo. Involuntarily, he pushed her the short distance to the wall, pressing her body in between it and his. Her back was against his chest, and his breath was heavy on her skin, causing goosebumps to form. Not feeling the need to speak, and with his warm body causing her to feel even more sleepy, she silently moved her head over to the right to give him better access to what kept her alive.

After tasting her skin, he sunk his pearly fangs into her delicate skin, feeling relief from drinking her blood like a man in the desert desires water. She winced at the feeling, still not immune to the pricking pain that came along with keeping her friend alive. She thought it was strange how she could hear and feel her blood leaving her body to enter his, and her eyes became even more droopy the more he drank. Feeling a fuzziness fill her vision and a tingling feeling flood her face, she attempted to tell him to stop.

"Z-Zero. Zero. I don't feel well. Please. Stop. Zero...that's enough," she whispered, mind actually afraid that he might take too much this time. Her words not getting his attention, she reached up with shaking hands, and grabbed a fistful of his hair.

Snapping out of his haze by the unexpected pain, he quickly removed his fangs and looked at her in alarm. "Yuuki! Dammit, Yuuki, are you alright?" He reached for his towel and pressed it to her wound, trying to get the trickle of blood to stop flowing. She leaned against him, obviously not able to support herself on her own.

"I'm fine..." she said weakly.

"No. No you're not. I took too much. I'm so sorry, Yuuki. I'm a monster," he said, blood still staining his face a dusky red.

"Don't s-say that. You're not a monster, and you never will be. I was tired anyway," she said, trying to calm him down. Her tone was heavy, as if she had just woken from a pleasant dream.

Zero didn't say a word as he held her, moving his towel to the side to see if the bleeding had ceased. Reaching for a nearby drawer with one hand, he grabbed the familiar medical supplies and treated her wounds.

As he was getting ready to carry her to her bed, she surprised him as she only knew how. "Zero, you're comfortable. I could use you as a pillow." She was obviously bordering on delirium from lack of sleep, but he could tell her words held the truth.

"I'm comfortable, huh?" he said, humoring her odd mood.

"Yeah. You are warm, and I feel safe with you. It's like that bad vampire can't reach me." Her eyes were still open, but she was blinking slowly, on the verge of entering a dream.

Zero's lilac eyes opened wide at her confession, before his gaze and expression changed into one of confusion; technically, _he _was the bad vampire.

"What about Kaname? Isn't he the one who saved you?"

She mumbled a response, which he couldn't decode. Picking her up in a fluid motion, he opened the door with his free hand and carried her to the kitchen. He forced her to drink some juice to recover from the loss of blood. After that was accomplished, he carried her to her bedroom. He set her down on the bed gently, like a precious doll that was all his own. Shaking her slightly, he tried to bring her back to the real world. "Yuuki, I need you to wake up for a minute, okay? You can't sleep in that damp towel and robe all night."

"Huh? Okay," she said sleepily. She began sleepily disrobing in front of him, obviously not entirely awake, and he had to turn around quickly so that he didn't see anything. He took the time to walk over to her drawers that held her silky nightgowns, and handed her one with an outstretched arm. Zero chose a spot on the opposite wall to stare a hole through.

She took the green nightgown gently, and he heard her towel drop to the floor. He waited a good five minutes before he dared turn around, fighting the temptation to do so the entire time. Thinking that he had surely given her enough time, he turned around to see her fully dressed, legs dangling off the bed and her head on the pillow. She was already sleeping soundly, breathing deeply.

He smiled slightly at how cute she looked. He walked over to her and lifted her legs under the blankets. As he pulled the covers up to her shoulders, he found himself leaning up and kissing her on the forehead. He didn't know what possessed him to do it, as he normally tried to avoid deepening his attachment with the down-to-earth girl. The small smile turned into a bitter one, knowing that this was as close as he would ever get to her already-occupied heart.

"Yuuki, you're not as safe with me as you think."

**Ending Author's Notes:**

Wow, even I think I need to brush my teeth after that tiny moment of fluffiness. :D I couldn't resist. Just like the real episodes, I have to add in those emotionally charged Zero/Yuuki moments.

In the next chapter, our heroine will be working her butt off to keep her position in the ballet, but will she go too far? Will she speak with Kaname and find out what is bothering him? What will happen with the addition of Maria? No one knows...except for me. ^_^

Tune in next time to see what happens next. I'll show you a lovely dance next night!


	7. Chapter 7: Sudden Arrival and Questions

**A/N: For the sake of this story actually progressing at a decent rate, I've skipped over the last few events at the end of the first season. They happened (the ball, Zero getting shot, etc.), I just won't dwell on them. **

**I just realized that I accidentally referred to Senri as Shiki in the earlier chapters when I've been calling everyone else their first name. I must have been watching too much of the show in Japanese, I guess. ^_^; Oops. **

**This chapter begins at the first episode of the 2****nd**** season. **

_**Words in italics are thoughts.**_

**Standard Disclaimer:** I do not own Vampire Knight, nor do I profit in any monetary way from this story. It is written for my and other's enjoyment, and I am taking creative liberties with the characters. The only character that is mine is Ms. Himura. Vampire Knight and Vampire Knight Guilty are property of Viz Media and Matsuri Hino. Support them buy purchasing manga and dvds legally from your favorite retailer! The rating is posted above, and I cannot be held responsible if a reader who is too young reads this story without permission.

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Chapter 7: Sudden Arrival and Questions

To say that she had been through a lot recently was an understatement. In between doing schoolwork, practicing, working the school dance, and negotiating her failed bargain (thank goodness) with the recently-deceased Shizuka, she didn't have time for hardly anything else. Once again, Zero had threatened to kill himself, which still made her shudder just thinking about it. Luckily, after this recent threat, he seemed as if he had a permanent change of heart.

Ichiru arrival, Zero's long-lost twin, had rattled her, as well. She couldn't imagine how Zero must be feeling about the situation...wherever he was.

He was suspiciously missing from classes. The Headmaster kept dodging her questions, being very vague about the details of his whereabouts. He kept telling her he was at some hunter-run hospital, and she bought it at first. Her stomach had been churning with worry for days now, and it was increasing more as time went by. Her appetite was nearly non-existent, to the point that Yori was watching her like a hawk to make sure she ate. She wondered that if Zero were dead, if her father would ever tell her.

_No, I mustn't think that. It's not helping. Zero is fine. He's fine._ She turned the page in the book she was reading – a copy of the book that the ballet she was starring in was based upon. It's red binding matched the roses that were in the nearby vase. Today, she was studying in the library, for once, in an effort to separate herself from surroundings that would cause her mind to wander. Although, it seemed like she had lost that battle.

"Come on, let's get to the gates before _little miss prefect_ ruins it," whispered a girl at the other end of the library, not softly enough, to her friend.

Yuuki rolled her eyes at their comment, not in any mood to be herding students like cattle. All she wanted to do was go into a room by herself and scream at the walls until her voice was gone. Frankly, she'd been doing that fair share of that anyway; she'd been having terrible nightmares filled with blood. These "headaches," as she called them, were starting to interfere with her life.

At the gates, Yuuki was stressed with trying to keep everyone back by herself. She used to look forward to this time to have her typical five-second conversations with Kaname, but now she just wanted them to hurry up. Luckily, she didn't have to worry about dance class today.

A sudden, familiar look of fear on the gossiping girls caught her attention. Her heart nearly stopped at seeing Zero return as if he had never left. If anything, he actually looked better than when she had last seen him. A million questions passed through her mind, but she couldn't put a voice to them. Whatever he did during his absence, he didn't seem willing to talk about it after the switchover.

"I was away on hunter business, Yuuki. Nothing more," he lied. He would die by the most tortuous means possible before he ever confessed to drinking from that damn pureblood.

She had a pout form on her face. "Hmph. You can't just expect me to let this go. You left me without telling me where you were going."

"As if you've never done that?"

"I at least tell you when I am going to be gone a long time. I didn't even know if you would come back," she said quietly, crossing her arms as they walked.

Detecting the excessive worry that had been hidden behind her statement, he put his hand on her shoulder to get her to look at him. "Hey, I'll let you know when I'll be coming back next time, okay?"

"Okay," she replied with a smile. She yawned rather loudly, not caring about preserving appearances.

Zero almost rolled his eyes. "Are you still not sleeping well?"

"No, not really. I think ballet has me worn out. We are performing in a month," she said. "I am planning on practicing tonight with Takuma after we patrol."

This caused him to raise an eyebrow in objection. "You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not. What's the problem?"

He sighed frustratedly. "Regardless of how much you like him, I don't trust him."

"Takuma is harmless, well, at least towards me. We've talked about this before, Zero. I'll be fine. Besides, I'll have my Artemis Rod nearby if I need it...which I won't," she replied with irritation. "We'll be rehearsing near the fountain out in the open."

He didn't reply, and was silently planning on how he was going to be a secret chaperone that night. _Looks like I won't get much rest tonight after all_, he thought.

The night was not as quiet as they hoped. Vampires from the Senate, which Yuuki had never encountered, threatened Zero until Kaname made them leave. She couldn't hold in her anger that Kaname had insinuated he suspected Zero of killing Shizuka. She couldn't believe that she had actually told him she wouldn't speak to him. _Just like a child..._

After patrols that night, Zero pretended to stay at the Headmaster's to get a head start on cleaning up. Oblivious, she changed into more appropriate dancing attire and walked to the secluded fountain. Arriving early, she sat down on the rim of the swan fountain and looked at her reflection in the crystal pool, illuminated softly by lamplight.

"Good evening, Yuuki," she heard a chipper voice say.

Just as she expected, Takuma Ichijo was walking towards her, dressed as handsomely as a secret prince. As his character, the gentleman commoner-servant, he wore an outfit that screamed fairytale: a puffy-sleeved loose white blouse and ebony dress pants.

Sitting silently in the bushes, Zero observed the two interact. He thought wryly that the green-eyed vampire looked more like a pirate.

"Good evening, Takuma," she replied just as happily. She took off her coat, and the moonlight caused her performance costume to shimmer. She wore a pearl-white ballet gown that was torn tastefully in places lower along the hem of the skirt with a tank-top styled bodice. She laced her more worn-out pair of slippers on her leg.

Zero's amethyst eyes opened a little wider at seeing her in such beautiful attire. He had barely masked this same reaction at the ball. Overall, this made her look older and more refined than she really was.

"I know you must be tired, so shall we get started?' he asked.

"Yeah, thanks," she said, moving to stand in front of him.

They began following through the familiar motions of the dance between the two "lovers." He pulled away, holding onto her hand with the most delicate of touches, and she followed as close to en pointe as her experience would allow, taking four tiny steps for every one of his. Moving swiftly behind her, he retained his hold on her hand and began twirling her in place like a figure on a music box. He leaned down on one knee, staring into her eyes. She continued holding her balance on one foot, and lifted her other leg up behind her. Slowly and carefully, she lowered it as elegantly as possible as she let go of him to begin her brief solo dance.

This entire time, Zero was watching her with pained eyes. He felt happy seeing her happy, proud that she had accomplished so much, and admiration at her skill. He also felt a tug on his heart, wishing that he was the one holding her so close, but he thought that would only cause her pain when he lost himself to the beast in his mind. The thought of him being the one to kill her was unacceptable and unimaginable. If that ever happened, he would tell Kaname, himself, to end his miserable existence. _If only I were human..._

Zero was brought out of his musings by a conversation between the two dancers as they resumed dancing closely.

"How have you been, Yuuki? You've seemed tired the last week or so," Takuma asked.

"Oh, I'm alright. I haven't been sleeping well, and I've been getting migraines," she replied.

"Hmm, that's odd. Maybe you should see the school physician?" he suggested.

"Yeah, I guess so. Maybe I can make the time to do it soon if it keeps up."

"He may not want me telling you this, but Kaname is worried about you. He hasn't said it directly, but I can tell."

She looked at him in surprise. "He...is? He's been...distant lately, I suppose. I mean, even before our...argument." She stood next to him, as each moved their hands gracefully around the other.

Takuma smiled bitterly. "Yes, I'm afraid he gets that way when he is troubled. Most of the others haven't noticed since they don't know him as well, regardless of what they may think. I'm not surprised that you were able to detect it since you've known him longer than I."

"Yeah, but not by much. You've been around him longer than I ever have. I only see him for short periods of time."

He twirled her again. "Yes, I suppose that's true." Takuma's keen eyes picked up on the glint of silver in the woods surrounding them. "Your friend, Zero, seemed to leave you to do Guardian duties yourself for quite a while."

A melancholy look passed over her face. "It was difficult, but I was able to manage. I'm just glad that he came back when he did. Those girls were starting to get rowdy."

He took a few paces to her side as he began his own solo dance. He took note that her answer was a bit vague. As he made his way back to her, he decided to probe her mind a little further. "You seemed like you had a lot of emotions going through your mind when he returned."

"There were. I wasn't sure what to think when I suddenly saw him there," she said with a bitter laugh. "Frankly, I was beginning to wonder if I even _would_ see him again, even though he wasn't gone more than two weeks. I guess I have abandonment issues."

"That's understandable." Besides Zero, Kaname, and Hanabusa, Takuma was the only other vampire that knew some of her past. At least, he knew some after what little Kaname had told him and from witnessing his friend visit her as she grew up. "You must be quite fond of him."

She looked startled. "Yes, he is my best friend, besides Yori."

Deciding to be Kaname's voice, he asked a question that he might get reprimanded for later. Timing it perfectly, so that they were in the middle of rehearsing their "kiss," he posed a thought-provoking question. "Forgive me for asking, but how fond of him are you, exactly?"

She looked confused.

Zero's blood was nearly boiling.

"What I mean to say is, that from an outsider's viewpoint, you clearly are very fond of Kaname, even after your argument, but you seem attached to Zero, as well. Is it more than friendship...for either of them?"

Yuuki stopped in her tracks, appearing as a deer caught in the headlights. Until his direct question, she hadn't thought through it that far, especially in regards to Zero. Yes, he was her friend, and he was _almost _her sibling, but now she wondered just how deep that love went. With Kaname, her love was always there and she recognized it as such, but the thought of it going anywhere seemed foolish. Still, she couldn't let the pureblood go from her heart, even when she was angry with him.

Takuma looked apologetic, though secretly satisfied that he had gotten her to think. "Forgive me; that was inconsiderate of me to ask." He thought to himself, _It appears that Zero hasn't eclipsed her heart entirely, then._

She shook her head slightly to rid herself of her confusion as they pulled away. "No, that's alright. I know you didn't mean anything bad by it."

An awkward silence fell between them, and the aristocrat looked towards the hidden figure in the woods. "I think that is enough for tonight. You should get home and get some rest. I'll give Kaname your regards for you?"

"Yes, thank you." She walked to the fountain and put her coat back on.

"Until next time then," he said cheerfully. He made a point to offer a hidden wave to Zero.

Zero scowled in the woods, irritated that one of those monsters had detected him. He watched her walk back to the Headmasters, keeping his eyes out for any trouble that might be following her. Satisfied that she was safe, he snuck inside, as well, under the guise of falling asleep in one of the many rooms.

Unbeknownst to either of them, a shutter had clicked during the night.

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**Ending Notes:**

**I hope that was worth the wait for you! Hopefully, Takuma wasn't too OOC. The story is going to pick up from here on out, as Yuuki deals with her "headaches." I tried an attempt at incorporating more ballet descriptions into it, and will do the same from now on. **

**Reviews/Opinions = happy author! Let me know if anything is confusing or if you have questions!**

**I'll show you a lovely dance next night! ^_^  
**


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